A lady and her son strolling by a pack of canine resting on the roadside in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
As incidents of canine bites are on the rise in Telangana, docs advocate that the costs of rabies vaccine must be introduced down by the federal government in order that it’s accessible to everyone and doesn’t burn a gap within the pocket of poor households.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. B.N. Rao, president of IMA Telangana State, stated: “One vial of vaccine costs ₹400 and if a patient has been bitten by a dog then a total of 5 vials have to be taken. In cases of prophylaxis (for prevention of disease), three vials given to a person are enough. The prices of these vaccines are under the purview of the Drug Control Administration of the State. The government is not yet providing rabies vaccines for prophylaxis.”
Dr. Rao says that the worth of the vaccine must be introduced down by the federal government in order that the vaccine might be given earlier than a canine chew as a measure of prevention as effectively. Earlier, the vaccines have been dearer however because the Drug Control has taken over, the costs have decreased slightly however extra must be carried out. The IMA Telangana State can be taking the difficulty ahead for discount of value, he added.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India is endemic for rabies and accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. Rabies deaths in people are 100% preventable by immediate and acceptable medical care. Vaccinating canine is probably the most cost-effective technique for stopping rabies in folks, he stated.
The vaccine must be given to the affected person instantly after a canine chew, it can’t be sutured and there must be cleansing of the wound by a iodine answer.
Dr. C. Sairam, senior Oncologist at MNJ Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad, stated: “If the bite is very close to the neck and brain, then the patient needs to be given immune globulin injections also, which is much more expensive than the vaccine itself. Another thing people forget is that rabies not only includes dog bites but also bites from bats, cats, monkeys and a few other animals. Though the vaccine is widely available in urban areas, if one focuses on rural areas, there are not many medical shops which have rabies vaccine.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
