Rabies

The Delhi government is set to declare human rabies a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, as part of its strategy to achieve zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies.

What is a Notifiable Disease?

• Legal Requirement: A notifiable disease is one that healthcare providers are legally mandated to report to public health authorities.
• Public Health Purpose: Reporting enables monitoring, outbreak prevention, early intervention, and control of diseases posing public health threats.
• State-Specific Lists: The list of notifiable diseases varies by State and includes infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, dengue, COVID-19, and recently snakebite.

Legal and Institutional Framework

• Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897: The act provides the legal basis for declaring any disease (such as rabies) a notifiable disease.
• Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP): It will manage data collection, monitoring, and response, enabling early intervention and efficient resource allocation.
• National Status: As per the National Rabies Control Programme, 20 States in India have already declared human rabies a notifiable disease

About Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897

• Origin: Enacted during the colonial period to combat the outbreak of bubonic plague in the Bombay Presidency in the late 19th century.
• Objective: To ensure the effective prevention and control of the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases.
• Key Provisions:
• • Section 2: The Act empowers State Governments/Union Territories to take special measures and frame temporary regulations to control an epidemic.
  • Section 2A: The Central Government can take measures and prescribe regulations for inspecting transport and detaining individuals to prevent epidemic spread.
  • Section 2B: Violence against healthcare personnel and property damage during an epidemic are prohibited.
  • Section 3: It prescribes penalties for non-compliance with orders issued under the Act.
    • Section 3(2): Violence against healthcare personnel or property damage can lead to imprisonment (3 months to 5 years) and fines (₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh).
  • Section 4: Provides legal immunity to officials and authorities for actions taken in good faith while implementing the Act.

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About Rabies

• Nature: Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic viral disease.
• Causative Agent: Rabies virus (RABV), which attacks the central nervous system.
• Hosts: Affects all mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock, and wildlife.
• Transmission: Spread through saliva, most commonly via bites, scratches, or contact with mucous membranes (eyes, mouth) or open wounds.
• Public Health Status: Classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), disproportionately impacting poor, marginalized, and vulnerable populations.
• Types of Rabies:
• • Furious rabies: Marked by hyperactivity, agitation, and hallucinations.
  • Paralytic rabies: Characterised by muscle weakness, paralysis, and coma.
• Prevention: 100% preventable with timely vaccination.
• Fatality rate: Rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear, making prevention and early treatment critical.
• Vulnerable group: Children (5–14 years) in endemic areas.
• Treatment:
  • Rabies prevention: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) with a 4-dose vaccine and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) for unvaccinated individuals.
  • WHO-approved vaccines: RABIVAX-S, VaxiRab N, VERORAB.