Rabies - What is it?

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus, but it can only be passed on from infected saliva entering the blood stream via bites, scratches, or licks on broken skin. It has been around for thousands of years, and although we are not much closer to curing it, we do at least have a successful vaccine against it.

For a more in-depth look at how the virus is passed on, the symptoms, and how you can protect yourselves and your pets from the disease, read our blog post on the subject.

Rabies in Numbers

  • 69,000 – the annual number of human deaths worldwide due to rabies.
  • 20,000 – the annual number of human deaths in India due to rabies.
  • 30%–60% – the percentage of human cases in India that are in children under 15 years of age.
  • 99% – the percentage of human cases caused by dog bites.

In India, rabies is not a notifiable disease, so the true number of human and animal cases can’t be known for certain.

Rabies in India

Rabies - Historical Image of a mob beating a rabid dog
A woodcut from the Middle Ages showing a rabid dog / Scanned from Dobson, Mary J. (2008) Disease, Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Quercus, p. 157.

Sadly, mob attacks on dogs that are suspected of having rabies are still common in India, especially where there are no animal welfare or veterinary facilities.

Despite great efforts by international organisation, smaller local NGOs and some government initiatives, rabies is still endemic throughout India.

Stray dogs that are unfortunate to contract the virus are a serious risk to people, pet dogs, other stray dogs, and other animals. 

To exacerbate the problem, many Indians, especially in rural areas, do not know the correct course of action to take if they are bitten by a dog. Or they do not have access to adequate medical facilities and rely on old-wives tales or the belief that visiting a temple will prevent them from contracting the disease. 

A real life case of rabies

Rabies - victim - before being bitten
A friendly stray dog playing in the forest before being bitten by a rabies-infected animal - possibly a monkey.
Rabies - Victim after succumbing to the disease
The same dog was seen behaving differenly, snapping at people and not eating. She died after three days of symptoms.

This stray dog was healthy and extremely friendly; however, one day she was found with bite and scratch marks on her legs and face.

She in turn bit three other dogs, two of which were pets. Shortly after, she started to exhibit symptoms of rabies and sadly, within three days she had died. All three of the dogs that she bit also developed the disease and died. 

Typically, none of the dogs had been vaccinated… if they had been, this tragedy could have been prevented.

Our Solution

What to do if you are bitten by a dog

Obviously not every dog that bites has rabies; therefore, some common sense and knowledge about the animal  is needed.

  • Pet dogs that are up-to-date with their vaccines most likely do not have the virus. 
  • Stray dogs that you don’t know who bite unprovoked and bite several people/animals could very well be infected, so post-exposure prophylaxis should be  followed.
  • Stray dogs that are teased, in pain, being hit, are frightened, etc that bite a specific person in a specific circumstance are also less likely to be infected and are more likely to be responding to a bad situation. However, precaution is best.

Thoroughly wash the bite wound with soap and running water for 10 to 15 minutes. Seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

Various factors will determine whether you require: 

  • Post-exposure vaccine alone, 
  • Post exposure vaccine AND  immunoglobulin, 
  • No vaccination at all.

Always seek the advice of somebody who understands the World Health Organization’s rabies vaccination protocol.

rabies post exposure protocol

At Manali Strays, several of our team are holders of Global Alliance for Rabies Control certificates in rabies education. Please reach out to us if you need any advice regarding vaccinations. or anything related to rabies.