Manipur gears up to tackle rabies

The Manipur Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing has publicly acknowledged the fact that rabies has spread in many parts of Manipur at an alarming pace. In Churachandpur district alone 12 persons had died of rabies and 265 others are under medication after dog bites.

The unofficial death figure could be high, sources said.

In Imphal east district, a boy also died of rabies at Andro. Disclosing this to the press the TMC state president Shyamkumar Thounaojam said that more than ten persons had recently died of rabies like symptoms at Andro.

The owners are culling most of the domesticated rabid dogs. This has appalled the veterinarians and dog bite victims since the health of the slain dogs can never be established. Under the circumstances, the victims are undergoing treatment assuming that they were bitten by the rabid dogs.

In a belated move the government has issued public instructions on how to handle dog bites and other dos and don'ts including the need to keep the dogs alive for at least 10 days. Besides monitoring cells are kept open round the clock.

In 2006 over 30 persons had died of rabies in Manipur. There was a mass campaign after these deaths for vaccination of the domesticated dogs. Reports say that there is outbreak of rabies during this time of the year. It is the time the tribal hunters and farmers of shifting cultivation burn down forest areas in the mountains for hunting and cultivation. Most of the animals including wolves flee mostly to the villages. Wolves which are the carriers of rabies virus transmit the disease to the domesticated dogs when they come in contact. Since the government and the NGOs cannot dissuade the hunters and shifting cultivation farmers from starting bush fires the spread of rabies cannot be checked.

Anti rabies vaccines were always under stocked in Manipur. Besides in view of the crippling shut downs its potency was almost nil.