Vaccinating Dogs Could Stop Rabies Deaths in India: New Lancet Study

Vaccinating Dogs Could Stop Rabies Deaths in India: New Lancet Study. A new Lancet study finds mass dog vaccination, timely rabies treatment and shorter PEP could dramatically reduce rabies deaths in India. Earlier report (2026-09-10 09:22): A new Lancet study published in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia suggests that mass dog vaccination could be a powerful tool for eliminating human rabies deaths in India. According to the study, which examined rabies prevention strategies in Kerala between 2026 and 2035, expanding mass dog vaccination could be more effective and cost-effective than routinely giving children rabies vaccines before exposure. In Kerala, where free PEP is provided to almost one million people annually and treatment-completion rates are among the highest in India, 33 people died from rabies in 2025, including children. The study found that achieving vaccination coverage of around 70 per cent among dogs could bring annual human rabies deaths in Kerala close to zero within approximately three years. This approach targets the principal source of human exposure rather than relying primarily on treatment after a bite occurs. Researchers also found that routinely providing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to children would prevent relatively few additional deaths, while diverting resources from dog vaccination to childhood PrEP could potentially increase deaths. Dog vaccination is only one part of rabies prevention, as prompt medical treatment after an animal bite remains critical. Public education, accessible healthcare services, and rapid administration of rabies vaccines - and rabies immunoglobulin when indicated - can save lives. Adopting the World Health Organization's shorter one-week PEP regimen could reduce costs without compromising effectiveness. Dog bites have become a major public health concern in India, with estimates indicating that around 9.1 million animal bites occur each year, with dogs responsible for more than three-quarters of them. An estimated 5,726 people die from rabies annually. The study also highlighted the importance of accurate stray dog population estimates, as Kerala's official figures may have underestimated the actual number by as much as five times. The researchers concluded that mass dog vaccination, rapid access to PEP, and stronger surveillance should be central to efforts to eliminate human rabies deaths. The study's findings are significant, as rabies remains one of the world's deadliest yet most preventable infections. According to the World Health Organization, over 59,000 people die from rabies annually, and the virus can be transmitted through the nervous system to the brain after a bite from an infected animal. However, timely rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent the disease from developing. The researchers from the University of Glasgow, Kerala health and animal-health institutions, and the London School of Economics and Political Science stress that addressing the root cause of the problem - the number of stray dogs - is crucial to eliminating human rabies deaths. The study's results provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of mass dog vaccination as a strategy for controlling rabies in India.