The Crime Desk: Rabies is a very old infectious disease and deadly. Death is inevitable when symptoms of this disease appear. However, this disease is 100% preventable if proper measures and vaccination are taken on time. World Rabies Day is today.
The day is celebrated worldwide on 28 September every year. The day is being celebrated in Bangladesh like other countries of the world. On the occasion of the day, rallies and discussions have been organized across the country, including the capital.
This year the theme of the day is ‘Removal of all obstacles needed to eliminate water rabies’. Accordingly, the day emphasized the need for cooperation in the eradication of rabies, the importance of equality, and the completion of the overall system through One Health.
Recently, the number of people who have been attacked by dogs, cats, and other animals is increasing. Last year, more than 500,000 people who suffered from animal bites received the rabies vaccine. This has reduced the number of patients suffering from rabies to a large extent. Before 2010, more than 2000 people died of rabies in Bangladesh every year, which decreased to only 42 in 2023. The previous year there were 44 people. This information is known from Mohakhali Infectious Disease Hospital sources.
Deadly rabies is 100% preventable if proper measures and vaccination are taken on time. If bitten or scratched by dogs, cats, monkeys, bees, and foxes, the affected area should be washed immediately with alkaline soapy water for at least 15 minutes. It is possible to prevent this disease by taking anti-rabies vaccinations on time.
Since 2010, the government of Bangladesh has taken rabies control and eradication as an important program. A joint initiative of the Health Department, Animal Husbandry, and Local Government Departments has taken a plan to start large-scale rabies eradication programs from 2011–12. A national strategy for rabies control was prepared with a commitment to make the country rabies-free and a roadmap for its implementation. And the Zoonotic Disease Control Program, Disease Control Branch, Department of Health are working tirelessly to implement these.
Rabies control and prevention centers have been set up in all district headquarters hospitals and more than 338 upazila health complexes across the country through the Zoonotic Disease Control Program, Disease Control Wing, and Directorate of Health. Water rabies control and prevention centers will be set up in all upazilas of the country.
Modern rabies treatment programs are also being conducted at Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali, Dhaka, 5 Government Medical College Hospitals, and Kamrangirchar 31 Bed Hospital. In case of dog or other animal bites, these centers provide continuous free anti-rabies vaccination along with modern treatment.
Currently, the full dose of the rabies vaccine is administered on days 0, 3, and 7, according to national guidelines. As a result, the vaccination process is completed within a week, saving both money and time for the patients. Doctors, nurses, and related officers and employees of all government hospitals at the district and upazila levels are being brought under the training phase. Which is a milestone in rabies control in South Asia.
