GUWAHATI, June 24: Assam has displaced Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka from the list of top five states with the highest number of human deaths due to rabies, even as the State machinery continues to be in an inexplicable state of slumber. Rabies claimed 33 human lives in Assam in 2023, the highest ever.

Shockingly, these deaths almost equalled the total fatalities from rabies over the previous three years combined, highlighting the severity of the crisis. Assam had reported only 12 such deaths in 2022, seven in 2021, and four in 2020.

Records in the health department also reflect that almost half of the total deaths in 2023 were of children below 15 years.

Adding to the woes of the unsuspecting citizens, Assam reported 94,945 cases of dog bites in 2023, a staggering surge of over 130 per cent from the previous year’s tally of 39,919 cases. Adding to the tragedy is the demographics of the victims.

Kamrup (Metro) recorded the highest number of dog bites with 11,500 cases, marking a six-fold rise from the previous year.

While traditionally high-incidence states like Maharashtra are seeing improvement, Assam’s surge underscores an urgent need for targeted interventions to combat this deadly yet preventable disease.

In 2022, rabies accounted for 48 fatalities in Delhi, the highest in the country, followed by West Bengal (38) and 29 each in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The scenario, however, took a drastic turn in 2023 with Assam recording an unprecedented spike in rabies-related deaths.

Conversely, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka managed to curtail such fatalities to a great extent, despite grappling with a higher number of dog bite cases. This despite the fact that the number of dog bite cases in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is much higher than in Assam, which in a way brings into play the ratio of rabid dogs in Assam.

“Young victims have been increasingly falling prey to the virus transmitted by dogs. Statistics show that over the past 5 years, over 30 children lost their lives to rabid dog bites, underscoring their vulnerability. This is very disturbing for the society,” a resident of Guwahati’s Sreenagar area said.

“The current state of affairs, which poses serious questions about the State’s response, simply reflects that the awareness campaigns to educate people about rabies have fallen woefully short. There is no denying that negligence of authorities, particularly municipal bodies, exacerbated the crisis, doubling the number of dog bites in just one year. This negligence is not just alarming but terrifying. Each life lost represents a preventable catastrophe,” a Guwahati based retired physician said.

In 2023, the highest number of rabies deaths in the State was reported in Udalguri (4), followed by Baksa (3), Golaghat (3), and two each in Barpeta, Bon-gaigaon, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Karbi Anglong and Sonitpur.

“We need to understand that the situation has not worsened overnight. This was something waiting to happen. The irony remains that despite the gravity of the situation, the State is yet to put its best foot forward. Let alone other districts, the enumeration of stray dogs in Guwahati has remained a distant dream. In comprehensive vaccination drives coupled with lack of basic infrastructure has only made things worse,” a senior health official told The Assam Tribune.

Source – The Assam Tribune