Eesha Kondapalli

Middle School Finalist, Grade 7
Cary, North Carolina

A Cry in Hyderabad: India’s Rabies Epidemic

The toddler’s father had only left him unsupervised for a couple of minutes, but that was plenty of time for a tragedy to unfold. The rabies-infected dogs nudged the four-year-old boy before sinking their teeth in. The toddler’s screams alerted those near, but it was simply too late. The toddler later succumbed to his injuries, dying at a very early age. This occurred in downtown Hyderabad, a highly populated city in India. (“India’s Stray Dog Days,” 2024) Most of my roots come from Hyderabad, so hearing such an incident broke my heart. What was even more surprising is that this issue is quite common, not just in Hyderabad, but throughout India.

Deadly and Overlooked: Rabies Across India

According to the World Health Organization, a rough estimate of eighteen to twenty thousand fatalities is reported per year due to this issue. Many of these deaths come from children, specifically under the age of fifteen. People living in underdeveloped, poor, and rural areas also contribute heavily to this number. As said by The Telegraph, the Global Alliance for Rabies Control reported India accounted for around 35% of human rabies deaths, which surpasses any other country. India’s stray dog crisis and its resulting rabies epidemic is one of India’s most pressing developmental issues due to the negative effects it has on the Indian people, particularly its children and underdeveloped communities.

A Raging Crisis

According to a 2022 study published in the National Journal of Public Health, conducted in rural Karnataka, it shows that Primary Health Centers lacked rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), which is crucial to rabies treatment. Along with that, the staff were not trained to manage severe bites. This is an example of why this crisis persists.

“Rabies belongs in the history books” -Director General of WHO

So, what is the solution to this massive problem? Well, many Indian citizens have attempted to “take the streets back,” by illegally culling street dogs (Matthews, 2024). Not only is it illegal to cull a stray dog, it’s also inhumane. A much better solution is rather vaccinating stray dogs. A successful example of this is shown in a small state in Northeast India called Sikkim. In 2006, the Sikkim government, along with international NGOs and with the cooperation of local communities launched the SARAH program. (Byrnes et al., 2017) A program which focused on four main categories, dog population control through surgical sterilization, annual mass-rabies vaccination, veterinary services, animal welfare and rabies awareness plus training. The results of the SARAH program were astronomical! The number of human deaths from rabies in Sikkim plummeted into single digits! (Rabies Alliance, n.d.) This shows what a very successful rabies sterilization program can do.

"Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate"- WHO

This raises a question, what steps can we, as regular citizens, take to eliminate the rabies epidemic in India? First, you simply cannot solve a problem if you don’t know what the problem is, which is why awareness is crucial. You can educate your community through posters, campaigns, social media, and presentations. You can support or volunteer through NGOs such as Blue Cross of India, Mission Rabies, etc. There are countless ways you as an individual can help eliminate rabies in India. India’s stray dog crisis and its resulting rabies epidemic is one of India’s most pressing developmental issues, although there are many solutions you as an individual can take. Dr. Reeta Mani, the Associate Professor of India's NIMHANS program, states, "The elimination of rabies in India is a daunting task, but not an impossible one."