India holds the record for approximately 36% of the world's deaths due to rabies every year. Most cases were children who got into contact with an infected dog.
The Indian government is now working with various countries to solve the rabies problems within their country, but experts urged them to do more specifically when it comes to myths and the millions of stray dogs on the streets.
An example case of rabies is that of a young man who went to Dr. Ramesh Masthi at a Bengaluru hospital a week after a dog bit him. Due to myths and lack of information, his family believed that he could be cured by applying green chillis, lime juice, and turmeric.
Unfortunately, it was already too late when he went to the hospital. The doctors could no longer help him, and so he finally succumbed to death. Dr. Masthi said that the young man could have been saved if he was brought immediately to the hospital, which was not the case.
"There is so much ignorance about dog bites and myths. A rabies shot in time would have saved him," he said.
Rabies Problem in India
According to the World Health Organization, rabies incidents in India has been constant for over a decade without showing any declining trend. The situation is mainly due to a lack of awareness of preventive measures, such as vaccines, overpopulation of stray dogs, and insufficient knowledge of post-exposure.
The most affected sector in the Indian population is those in the lower socio-economic status and young people from age 5 to 15 as most children play near dogs, roam freely, and used to sharing food with the dogs which result in frequent bites.
According to a study, most children who got bitten were unaware that they were already bitten and often their parents ignored this or simply treated the wounds using hot peppers or turmeric. They only seek medical advice when the case has already worsen.
Moreover, another study said that only 70% of the people in India know about rabies, while only 30% know how to wash the wounds after animal bites, and only 60% receive vaccines.
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Eliminating the Rabies Problem in India
Dog bites caused almost all cases of rabies in India compared to other animals like monkeys or bats, The Guardian reports. That is why in eliminating rabies in the country, it requires vaccinating the dogs and sterilizing their population, particularly on the stray dogs.
However, in the country's situation, it will not be easy because it is challenging to catch stray dogs and to vaccinate them. The dogs would already see the dog catchers coming a mile off and catching them would instantly become an endless chase which ends up not catching anything at all.
Dog vaccination is usually treated as a low priority in an area with a huge population, problems with waste management, and homelessness. Dr. M.K. Sudarshan, the founder of the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India, said that many neglect human rabies because they believe that it is a disease of the poor.
The only way for rabies to be taken seriously is to make it a notifiable disease for which a law is passed to make reporting of cases mandatory, in which anyone who does not follow will be penalized.
The government would have to come under pressure by the public for this to push through. But ultimately, experts believe that changing the status of rabies in India is the key to eradicating it in their country.
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