Pets get anti-rabies jabs on World Zoonoses Day

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru:

On the occasion of World Zoonoses Day on Wednesday, a vaccine manufacturing company inoculated 2,500 pets in Karnataka, including 500 in Bengaluru with anti-rabies injections free of cost for the owners of the animals.

Zoonosis is the phenomenon wherein a disease is transmitted from a non-human animal to humans. The pathogens that cause such diseases are termed zoonotic. Examples include rabies virus, the bubonic plague bacteria and the Covid causing virus.

World Zoonoses Day is commemorated on July 6. The vaccination drive was conducted by Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a subsidiary company of National Dairy Development Board. IIL said that it carries out the drive every year.

“About 2,500 pet animals were vaccinated against Rabies in Karnataka, while 500 pet animals were vaccinated in Bangalore at Dr Jayaramaiah Govt Vet Hospital. Raksharab and Starvac R (Anti-rabies vaccines of IIL) were administered free of cost,” an official IIL statement said.

“A recent report from the State of the World’s Forests 2022 predicts India as a potential hotspot for zoonotic viral diseases. About 70 percent of all emerging diseases such as Rabies, Swine Flu, Nipah, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, Porcine Cysticercosis, Zika, etc. that affect humans are zoonotic in nature. In their fight against the spread of such zoonotic viruses, IIL’s vaccination camp was escalated to 100 cities across the country through veterinary dispensaries, veterinary colleges and NGOs,” it added.

“As per available information, it causes 18,000-20,000 deaths every year (in India). Rabies is taking its toll on adult men and children, the majority from rural areas, due to a lack of awareness about proper post-exposure immunization,” it said.

Dr K. Anand Kumar, Managing Director, IIL said, “It is the commitment of IIL as a truly one-health company to bring cost-effective vaccines to both animal and human health. Through our anti-rabies vaccine drive, we aim to spread awareness of the disease and the need to restrain it. Apart from Raksharab and Starvac R, IIL has the largest range of zoonotic vaccines in the country such as CYSVAX, Bruvax, among others.”