Rabies

From dog bites and puppy scratches to vaccine fears and home remedies, an internal medicine specialist explains what rabies really looks like, and why delay can be deadly

symptoms appear? In this episode of our fact-check series, a doctor debunks dangerous rabies myths and explains why timely treatment saves lives.

According to data from market research firm Pharmarack, the combined number of ARV and immunoglobulin vaccines sold in 2025 reached 8,510,000 units - the highest in five years

Whether bitten by a pet or a stray, knowing the right first aid steps can prevent infection and rabies and speed up recovery, say health experts

By declaring human rabies a notifiable disease, Delhi aims to tighten surveillance, ensure early treatment and move closer to its goal of zero human deaths from rabies

Vaccinated pets are highly protected against rabies, but no vaccine is perfect. Expert explains when risks are rare and why boosters still matter

A suspected rabies case in a buffalo sent panic through a UP village, with hundreds rushing for vaccines after learning funeral raita was made from its milk. But was the fear justified?

Indian Immunologicals Limited said the issue flagged by Australian authorities relates to a single counterfeit batch identified earlier and does not warrant a blanket warning against the vaccine

Days after Australia issued an advisory against counterfeit rabies vaccine in India, a public sector manufacturer of the vaccine 'Abhayrab' clarified that the concern revolves around a specific batch identified in January 2025, and did not merit a blanket warning against it. The vaccine manufacturer, the Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), said the advisory in its present form has the potential to create anxiety and mistrust among the public and healthcare practitioners. It asked the Australian government to consider reviewing its advisory. Around a week ago, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said Australian travellers who have been administered the anti-rabies vaccine Abhayrab in India after November 1, 2023, should consider the vaccination invalid and initiate a new course of vaccination. The IIL has written to ATAGI, strongly refuting the "over-cautionary and misplaced reference" to a batch of vaccine manufactured in March 2024, and said it had ...

Australia's immunisation advisory group says counterfeit batches of rabies vaccine Abhayrab have circulated in India since November 2023, potentially leaving bite victims unprotected

According to the new directive, the families of individuals who die due to dog bites will receive ₹5 lakh as compensation from the state government

Six deaths, rabid wildlife clusters, and falling pet vaccination rates raise alarms across US states, prompting CDC to warn of a growing rabies threat

The Supreme Court has modified its earlier directive on stray dogs. They will now be sterilised and vaccinated, then released back to their localities. Aggressive and rabid dogs,

Supreme Court orders removal of stray dogs in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram to shelters, warning against obstruction and citing rising rabies and bite cases

In a sweeping order aimed at tackling the growing menace of dog bites and rabies, the Supreme Court has directed civic bodies across Delhi-NCR to round up all stray dogs

Spike in stray dog bites and death due to rabies threatens India's target of eliminating the fatal disease by 2030 under its National Rabies Control Programme. Civic bodies plan coordinated response

The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan termed the news item published today in an English daily's Delhi edition as "very disturbing and alarming". "The news item contains some alarming and disturbing figures and facts," the bench said. It said every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the aged were falling prey to the dreadful disease. "We take suo motu cognisance of this news item," the bench said. "Let this order be placed along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders," it said.

More than 37 lakh cases of dog bites and 54 suspected human rabies deaths were reported during 2024, the government said on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel said the data on the total number of reported dog bite cases and suspected human rabies deaths, is collected from states/UTs under the National Rabies Control Program by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). As per the information provided by the NCDC, the total dog bite cases in 2024 stood at 37,17,336 while the total 'suspected human rabies deaths' were 54. Stating that municipalities are responsible to control the stray dog population, Baghel said they are implementing the Animal Birth Control Programme to regulate the population of stray dogs. In addition, the Centre has notified the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which focuses on the neutering and anti-rabies

Despite strong vaccine uptake, India's rabies fight is failing due to poor access to full post-bite care, especially immunoglobulin, the ICMR warns in its latest findings

Alongside the rise in dog bite incidents, deaths caused by rabies also witnessed a sharp increase during the period under review, although the reasons behind this trend may vary