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Abstract
Rabies is endemic throughout the country and human cases of Rabies are reported from all over throughout the year except for Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. In India, about 96% of the mortality and morbidity due to Rabies is associated with dog bites. Although Rabies affects people of all age groups, children are the most vulnerable which constitutes 40% of people exposed to dog bites in Rabies-endemic areas. Different studies quote different figures of Animal Bites incidence and deaths due to Rabies in humans. As per WHO estimates, India accounts for 36% of the global and 65% of the human Rabies deaths in the South East Asia region. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1992 had recommended the administration of Rabies vaccines by intradermal (ID) route in those countries and areas where there is a resource crunch. The ID Rabies vaccination was effectively used in Thailand, Philippines and Srilanka to successfully reduce the burden of human Rabies in those countries. The higher cost of intramuscular administration of CCV is a limiting factor for its wider use in India and hence, in February 2006, as per WHO recommendations, results of clinical trials on safety, efficacy and feasibility, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the use of safe, efficacious, and economical Intra-dermal (ID) route of inoculation of CCVs. National Centre for Disease Control (formerly known as National Institute of Communicable Diseases), Delhi, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies Epidemiology, organized an expert consultation in 2002 to formulate “National Guidelines for Rabies Prophylaxis” to bring out uniformity in pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) practices. These guidelines were revised through an expert consultation in 2007, 2013 and 2019.