Early birds continues street dog rabies free programme

The Early Birds a nature organization for animal welfare and wild life protection had organized an anti rabies free vaccination camp for the street dogs on 6th July 08 on the occasion of World Zoonosis Day. . Rabies is a preventable disease. In India rabies is transmitted by stray dogs( about 98 %) to human beings ,livestock and owned dogs. Control and eradication of rabies is governed by holistic approach to destroy the virus in stray dog population, which is the reservoir focus. This can be achieved by intensive mass vaccination(about 80 % ) to establish herd immunity, combined with mass sterilization of stray dogs(about 80 %) to control multiplication. Repeated annual booster immunization of all the owned and stray/community dogs will ensure elimination of rabies virus among dogs. More than 99% of all human rabies deaths occur in the developing world( Asia ,Africa). In Asia maximum deaths are from India. Globally 50000 people die due to rabies of which 30,000 ( 60 % ) are from India. Post exposure prophylaxis costs India 563 million USD or Rs 2533.50 crores. Losses due to death of livestock and pets are not properly recorded and documented. India may have 18 million stray dogs.

The Early Birds have continuously perusing this programme since 1999 when it was launched inside the State Zoo premises. As a part of these drive a total no of 63 community/pet dogs were vaccinated at Chunchali and Kanchan Nagar area of greater Noonmati on 06-07-08 . Dr Anjan Chakraborty and Rupam Bhattacharya lead the field while other members present were Moloy Baruah, Gautam Choudhury, Pulakesh Talukdar, Sajib Das and Mayur Plaban Baruah who offered auxiliary services. The EB was getting small grant direct from the MOEF ( animal welfare) till 2003. Thereafter the sanctioning power is transferred to Animal Welfare Board Of India at Chennai and the whole thing came to a holt. On the other hand no organization nor the state government has shown any keenness for such ‘misadventure’ for which EB is afraid that ultimately such super essential programmes will have to be dropped which will ultimately cost the society heavily. Indian Immunologicals Ltd had co shared the Day with Early Birds by providing free vaccines.

Moloy Baruah, Guwahati