West Bengal accounted for the maximum number of rabies and snakebite deaths in India in the last few years. While 156 people died due to rabies in the state in the last three years, as many as 1,273 people lost their lives there due to snakebite from 2011 to 2015.
According to figures provided by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), a government body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 324 people have died of rabies from 2014 to 2016 all over the country. An average of 48 people die every year in West Bengal, reporting the maximum number of casualties among all the states in the country.
In all these three years, West Bengal reported the maximum number of deaths—52 in 2014, 47 in 2015 and 47 in 2016. In 2016, while there were 19 deaths reported from Karnataka, four such cases were reported from Delhi and Bihar each. Rest of the death cases were reported from Tripura, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Jharkhand.
In the case of snakebite deaths, West Bengal reported the maximum number of casualities from 2011 to 2015, except in 2014, according to the agency. The total number of snakebite deaths across the country was 1559, 1375 and 1123 in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively out of which West Bengal reported maximum number of deaths—388, 383 and 201 in these three years.
In 2014, Orissa, with 196 casualties, reported the maximum snakebite death cases, followed by MP (162), West Bengal (138) and Gujarat (109). Nationwide, as many as 1127 persons died of snake bite in 2014. However, in 2015, West Bengal again topped the list of states with a maximum of 163 death cases, followed by MP (96) and Orissa (94). A total of 1018 people lost their lives due to snakebite in 2015. The details of 2016 could not be obtained.
According to estimates, there are more than 3 crore stray dogs in the country. In Delhi, this number is about 5 lakh and about 300 dog bite cases are reported every day. Though rabies can be transmitted through cat bite also, bite of a rabid dog accounts for about 95% of rabies cases, according to National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP).
The issue of rabies was raised in Parliament recently. Health Minister J.P. Nadda said: “Since health is a state subject, it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure the availability of anti-rabies vaccine.” He, however, said the funds are provided to states under the National Health Mission to strengthen their health care system, including support for the anti-rabies vaccines.
Concerned over the increasing number of rabies death cases, the Centre is taking various steps under NRCP which has both human and animal health components. While human component pertains to training of health professional, the animal component stressed on mass vaccination of dogs, management of dog population.
A member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), Mohan Singh Ahluwalia, told The Sunday Guardian that he has not studied the figures of death due to rabies and snakebite. “But it is true that the sterilisation drive for controlling the population of dogs has not been successful. As regards to maximum death cases in both rabies and snakebite coming from West Bengal, I will check the figures and then only comment,” he said.
Sources said the AWBI, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forest, is struggling hard to rope in animal welfare NGOs to implement the NCRP through dog sterilisation and proper medical care. But it has not been able to put a check on the growing rabies cases.
With regard to snakebite, besides private sector, Central Research Institute (Kasauli) and Hafikine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (under Government of Maharashtra) too manufacture anti-snake venom serum. The state governments are supposed to procure the serum directly from the manufacturers as per requirements.