Maharashtra Health Department declares rabies as a notifiable disease

Working on the motto that prevention is better than cure, Maharashtra Health Department has recently declared rabies in Maharashtra as a notifiable disease. Rabies is fatal disease that spreads through the bite of a rabid animal (mainly dogs) and infects the central nervous system of mammals.

The said notification is also a way to accelerate the action towards the “National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination from India by 2030” which was launched on World Rabies Day in 2021. So far, in India it has been eradicated from only 3 places, namely – Goa, Sikkim and Andaman.

Prevention and complete eradication of rabies

Following on this new protocol, doctors and hospitals in Maharashtra are obligated to notify the health department when a patient with suspected rabies is admitted.

Prevention, control and elimination of rabies from a geographical area can only be achieved through strong surveillance and stringent disease reporting system, states officials. Rabies takes the life of over 20,000 Indians every year, with upto 60% of cases occurring in children under 15 years of age. 200 of these cases are reported in Maharashtra every year, however some 20 are only reported to the government. For better control and complete eradication, citizens and hospital management need to report every instance at the earliest.

A notifiable disease is basically any disease required by law to be notified to the government or other health authority. Diseases to be notified to WHO are outlined in the International Health Regulations but most countries have their own list of nationally notifiable diseases.