Veterinary Hospital Kohima
World Rabies Day, the 28th of September is observed globally every year to create awareness among pet owners and the general public about the importance of Rabies in dogs, its prevention and various control measures. This day is observed every year to mark the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, a French Chemist and Microbiologist who developed the first Rabies Vaccine
This year World Rabies Day is Themed,” Rabies: All for 1, One health for all”. The theme focuses on more collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, equality and the strengthening of health system. All for 1: expresses the responsibility of each and every one of us has in the battle to eliminate rabies. All people can work towards one health, and everyone can contribute to saving a life. One Health for all: improving human, animal and environmental health as they are all interlinked. This year’s theme brings together all key elements of Rabies prevention, highlighting the need for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders through effective vaccination of dogs, monitoring outbreak cases, so as to create a truly one health for all.
Rabies is one of the most alarming viral diseases of dog. Caused by a bullet shaped virus known as Rhabdo Virus. It is a zoonotic viral disease that is transmitted through saliva, bites and scratches from an infected rabid dog to a healthy dog or a human being. Some prominent symptoms of a rabid dog are change in normal behaviour, over sensitive/ alert and aggressive, restlessness and tendency to bite without any provocation, profuse salivation, inability to take food and fear of water, incoordination of movement and paralysis of jaw, high tone bark, increased body temperature, search for dark corners to hide, run around aimlessly etc. To keep our pet dogs away from Rabies, always keep your pet dog in a confined, clean and comfortable shed, provide your pet dog with well- balanced nutritious diet and sufficient clean water and avoid letting your pet dog play with other dogs or any strange dog or interact with people outside the household, vaccinate your pet dog at 3 months of age and then go for yearly vaccination lifelong. Rabies is 100% vaccine preventable disease, therefore every one needs to eliminate rabies in dog to achieve One Health For Everyone. On this day, let us all join our hands together to eradicate this disease globally.
