Indian Authorities must Expedite Oral Rabies Vaccine Approval and Implementation, and also develop an indigenous version. It’s faster, can reach  more dogs & can help reach the goal of Zero Human Deaths From Dog-Mediated Rabies By 2030.

We, the concerned citizens of India and animal welfare supporters, urgently petition our government to prioritize the testing, approval, and implementation of oral rabies vaccines (ORV) for dogs across India. It is not a novelty and has been used effectively nicely across many countries for over a decade. Every year, thousands of Indians die from preventable rabies infections , representing more than a third of global rabies deaths. This is a preventable tragedy that requires immediate innovative solutions.

Why This Matters to Me

If theres a faster option, we should use it! As someone who has worked for years in animal welfare, I've witnessed the heartbreaking consequences of rabies from both perspectives: the suffering of children bitten by rabid animals, and the unnecessary culling of dogs who are often seen as the problem rather than victims themselves. I've seen how current vaccination methods, while effective, cannot reach enough dogs to create herd immunity. The oral rabies vaccine represents a compassionate, effective solution that saves both human and animal lives, and can work in parallel with the injection model.

The Current Rabies Crisis in India

Despite commendable efforts under the National Action Plan for Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) and Animal Birth Control programs, rabies deaths have increased manifold from 22 in 2022 to 180 in 2024 . This alarming increase comes despite a decrease in presumptive cases, suggesting gaps in our current approach.

India has the highest burden of rabies globally, accounting for approximately 35% of worldwide cases . The economic impact is staggering - an estimated annual loss of 2.3 billion USD through premature deaths, bite treatment, loss of labor, and livestock losses .

The Revolutionary Solution: Oral Rabies Vaccines

Oral rabies vaccines have been successfully used to eliminate rabies from wildlife populations across Europe and North America since the 1970s . These vaccines are contained within attractive baits that dogs willingly consume, eliminating the need for stressful capture and injection.

Research demonstrates that ORV could access 35 dogs per person per day compared to just 9 through the current capture-vaccinate-release method . The oral bait approach is not only more effective but also more cost-efficient, requiring approximately quarter of the staff needed for traditional methods .

Advantages of Oral Rabies Vaccination:

· Single dose - ie once in a lifetime , and doesn’t need yearly boosts as per study. 
•Improved Accessibility: Reaches free-roaming dogs that are difficult to capture through conventional methods 
· Higher safety and reduced  Stress: Eliminates the trauma for dogs, catchers, and welfare workers during vaccination . It’s also so much safer. 
· Greater Efficiency: Reaches more dogs per day at lower operational costs 
· Higher Coverage: Can achieve the 70% vaccination coverage needed to eliminate rabies 
· Complementary Approach: Works alongside existing parenteral vaccination programs without disruption 

What Is Holding India Back?

While countries like Namibia, Thailand, Finland, and Haiti have successfully implemented oral rabies vaccination programs for dogs , India continues to rely primarily on injection-based vaccines that cannot reach the entire dog population, particularly free-roaming dogs estimated to number approximately 62 million .

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)  must prioritize the approval process for oral rabies vaccines that have already proven effective in other countries. We need expedited clinical trials, coordinated policy-making, and immediate pilot programs in high-risk areas. We must innovate an indigenous oral vaccine in India in parallel. 

Departments That Must Take Action:

1. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO): Expedite testing and approval of safe oral rabies vaccines already used globally 
2. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Recognize ORV as critical to reducing human rabies deaths and integrate it into the National Rabies Control Programme
3. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Develop implementation frameworks for mass ORV campaigns alongside existing animal birth control programs
4. State Municipalities and Local Bodies: Allocate resources for ORV implementation and community education
5. Indian Vaccine Manufacturers: Invest in local production to make ORV affordable and accessible nationwide 

Our Request: A Three-Point Action Plan

1. Expedited Approval: CDSCO must fast-track the regulatory approval process for oral rabies vaccines, recognizing the urgent public health need and relying on existing international safety data .
2. Pilot Programs: Launch immediate ORV field trials in high-incidence states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh) which reported the highest rabies deaths in 2024 .
3. Manufacturing Partnership: Create public-private partnerships to transfer technology and manufacture ORV locally, making it affordable and accessible across India .

The Future We Imagine

We envision an India where no child dies from preventable rabies, where dogs are recognized as valued companions rather than disease vectors, and where innovative solutions are embraced to solve public health challenges. Oral rabies vaccination can help us achieve this reality within our lifetime.

Join Us in This Critical Mission

We call upon the relevant ministries, drug regulatory authorities, and state governments to come together in a coordinated effort to make oral rabies vaccination a reality in India. By signing this petition, you're supporting a compassionate, effective solution that saves both human and animal lives.

Sign and share this petition to tell our authorities that India must prioritize the approval and implementation of oral rabies vaccines now! Together, we can eliminate rabies from India by 2030.

Experts opinion:

Dr Shrikrishna Isloor shares: “Parenteral / Injection based vaccination campaigns often fail to reach the minimum required 70% coverage, as many dogs are hard to catch. A safe Oral Rabies Vaccine (ORV) in edible baits can vaccinate these dogs, as proven in other countries. Furthermore, ORV would expand coverage, cut human deaths and treatment costs, and speed up “Zero by 2030”. Without Oral Rabies Vaccine, breaking rabies transmission in India’s stray dog population is a herculean task“

Useful research links:

• Oral vaccination of dogs: a well-studied and undervalued tool for achieving human and dog rabies elimination - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6045873/
  (PDF)

• Oral Vaccination of Dogs in India as a Strategy for Elimination of Rabies: Scope of Implementation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389258662_Oral_Vaccination_of_Dogs_in_India_as_a_Strategy_for_Elimination_of_Rabies_Scope_of_Implementation

• Review of Oral Rabies Vaccination of Dogs and Its Application in India - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8777998/
  https://youtu.be/zEcfaRsX8NE?si=eRWHs4YPxq1knWWx

• First Oral Rabies Vaccine for Dogs - WOAH Bulletin https://bulletin.woah.org/?p=24075

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