Assam Rabies Elimination Project launched in Guwahati, aims to vaccinate 70% of city's dog population
The Assam Rabies Control Project has been structured into two key segments: one focused on Guwahati's metropolitan area and the other on three model districts of Assam.;
Rabies is 100 percent preventable, yet it remains a major public health concern.
Guwahati, Feb 6: Mission Rabies, WVS, in collaboration with JBF (Just Be Friendly) and with the support of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Assam, and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), officially launched the 'Assam Rabies Elimination Project' on Wednesday.
The initiative was inaugurated by GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania at the Gauhati Press Club in the presence of key dignitaries, including Dr. Dandeswar Deka, member, Veterinary Council of India; Moloy Baruah, environmentalist; Dr. Sashanka Sekhar Dutta, founder and managing trustee, JBF; Dr. Balaji Chandrashekar, director of operations, Mission Rabies India; and others.
A key moment of the event was the inauguration of the rabies hotline by the mayor.
According to a press statement, the Assam Rabies Control Project has been structured into two key segments: one focused on Guwahati's metropolitan area and the other on three model districts of Assam.
The Guwahati Metropolitan Area Rabies Project aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the city's dog population, enhance rabies surveillance through Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM), and conduct awareness programmes in schools, hospitals, and public spaces. The three model districts initiative will identify three districts to serve as examples for rabies.
The hotline number 9706049585 is now active, and people can call and report any suspected case.
Mission Rabies, a global initiative under the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), has implemented rabies control programmes in states like Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
With Assam as a key focus area, the project aims to replicate this success and establish Assam as a model for rabies elimination in Northeast India.
Rabies is 100 percent preventable, yet it remains a major public health concern.
This project is a critical step toward achieving a rabies-free Assam in alignment with the global 'Zero Rabies by 2030' mission, the statement read.
