(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Shimla’s Big Win Against Rabies: Successful Mass Dog Vaccination Drive
In the hilly town of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, a major anti-rabies vaccination campaign wrapped up with flying colors from August 15 to 29. This effort brought together various groups and locals to vaccinate thousands of dogs, pushing the city closer to becoming rabies-free. Officials hail it as a shining example of teamwork and community involvement in rabies control.
The main goal? To vaccinate as many community and street dogs as possible. Rabies remains a serious threat in India, but high vaccination rates can stop it from spreading. By hitting nearly 90% coverage of Shimla’s estimated dog population, the drive exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) benchmark of 70% needed to break the rabies transmission chain. Everything followed the WHO’s 2018 expert guidelines on rabies prevention.
Led by District Nodal Officer Anil Kumar Sharma, the campaign saw a united front from the Municipal Corporation (MC) Shimla, the Department of Animal Husbandry, and NGOs like Mission Rabies India, Humane People in Rampur, Compassion for Animal Welfare, Neighbourhood Woof in Delhi, Peepal Farm, and Just Be Friendly in Assam. Even local dog feeders pitched in, helping teams navigate the city’s wards.
To make it happen, organizers formed seven expert teams. These included veterinary interns as vaccinators, data collectors, hand catchers, net catchers, and drivers. Their hard work ensured almost every corner of MC Shimla got covered, vaccinating a whopping 3,507 dogs in just two weeks.
Shimla’s Mayor, Surender Chauhan, thanked everyone involved, especially partners from outside Himachal Pradesh. The state government also praised the initiative as a key step toward eliminating rabies in urban areas.
Balaji Chandershekhar, Director of Operations at Mission Rabies India, shared his thoughts: "We’ll keep supporting Shimla with free vaccines for community dogs every year. But we need to boost door-to-door vaccinations for pet dogs too, to protect everyone better."
MC Shimla Commissioner Bhupinder Attri backed this up, promising to roll out a door-to-door plan for owned dogs in future phases. This will make the rabies vaccination drive in Shimla even more thorough.
Looking ahead, the campaign will run annually for at least five years to wipe out rabies cases in both humans and animals. The dream is to officially declare Shimla a rabies-free city, inspiring other Indian towns to follow suit in dog vaccination efforts and public health.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
