Hyderabad-headquartered Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), the market leader in veterinary biologicals and third largest animal health and human health player in the country, has administered around 50,000 free anti-rabies vaccine produced by it at the free vaccination awareness camps conducted in over 170 centres across the country on the occasion of World Zoonosis day, on 6th July.

IIL has been organizing these Vaccination and Rabies awareness camps at Veterinary dispensaries, NGOs and Veterinarians across the country every year on “World Zoonosis Day” which is observed on July 6. Around 50,000 doses of Raksharab (fanti-rabies vaccine) produced by IIL was administered free of cost in as many as 20 states and Union Territories through veterinary dispensaries, NGOs , IIL said in a release in Hyderabad.

Diseases that transmit from animals to human beings are called Zoonotic diseases and 70 per cent of all emerging diseases that affect humans are zoonotic in nature. In India, occurrence of Rabies is prevalent and accounts for more than 90 per cent of all zoonotic cases reported in the country, IIL said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates around 1.75 million dog bite cases every year causing around 59,000 deaths worldwide each year with majority of cases (95%) taking place in Africa and Asia.

A 2015 study, published in peer-reviewed PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases estimates about 20,800 rabies deaths every year in India - the highest in the world at 36 per cent of total deaths due to rabies. The high incidence of rabies in India is due to large uncontrolled stray dog population, the study said, adding stray dogs account for nearly 80 per cent of the canine population in India.

There are several reasons for the high incidence including poor vaccination. Prophylaxis through vaccination is the most cost-effective intervention to reduce incidence of disease. Several countries have been able to reduce the number of rabies related human deaths through vaccination, the release said.