Hyderabad: IIL rolls out anti-rabies drive for canines

Hyderabad: In order to drag the attention towards zoonotic diseases that pose a great risk to human life worldwide while raising pet animals at home, the Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) – a country based vaccine manufacture company, has organized a free vaccination camp in the city on July 6 on the occasion of 'World Zoonoses Day.'

As part of its regular campaign against the diseases, the company decided to vaccinate over one lakh doses of RAKSHARAB, the anti-rabies vaccine produced by IIL, this time too in as many as 100 centres across the country through veterinary dispensaries and NGOs. This includes two animal care facilities like Narayana Multispeciality Veterinary Hospital Hyderabad and Government Veterinary Hospital Hayathnagar in the city.

The Hyderabad based company also helps several veterinary dispensaries, veterinarians and the NGOs across the country in conducting 'Rabies Awareness Camps' on this particular disease.

According to a report, 70 per cent of all emerging diseases like rabies, swine flu, brucellosis, leptospirosis, porcine cysticercosis, nipah and zika that affect humans are considered as zoonotic in nature.

In India, cases of rabies account for more than 90 per cent of all zoonotic diseases prevalent in the country. Also, India is among the leading countries with a significant number of rabies deaths reported worldwide. It is said that the high volume incidence of rabies in India is due to the large wandering dog population in India.

Several countries have been able to reduce the number of rabies related human deaths through vaccination of dogs. Awareness camps, proper diagnosis, improvement in sanitary conditions and prophylactic vaccination programs should be conducted to check the spread of zoonotic diseases.

While dragging the attention towards the ever increasing cases of Rabies in the country, Dr.K.Anand Kumar, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited, said at one of the occasion, "The company is commitment to play a significant role in providing cost effective remedies for the control of various zoonotic diseases in the country including the dreaded Rabies.

Apart from the "Anti-Rabies vaccine", IIL also has a range of vaccines for prevention of such zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis, leptospirosisetc and will be rolling out human vaccines against dengue, chikungunya, zika among others.