Pushpa Narayan, TNN | Jul 7, 2011, 05.44am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Chennai-20-rabies-deaths-in-6-mths-health-workers-worried/articleshow/9132104.cms
CHENNAI: At least 20 people have died of rabies at the Government General Hospital in the city in the last six months. Last month, three died of the virus, spread through dog bites.
The increasing number of such deaths is worrying public health workers, who are coming together on July 9 to debate the topic, 'Why should anyone die of rabies in the 21 century?' The conference, organised by the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India, will discuss strategies to eliminate rabies by 2020.
"One big reason for rabies still being around is the lack of transparency and also severe underreporting of deaths,"said former director of public health Dr S Elango. For instance, though the records at the general hospital alone point to 12 deaths in 2010 and 13 deaths in 2009, none of these were recorded in the national registry. In 2009, Tamil Nadu recorded three deaths against 263 across the country and in 2010 it recorded two deaths against 162 nationally (source: National Health Profile 2010).
"Had we reported all deaths, there would have been pressure on the civic authorities to initiate action. That would have pushed us to a stage where we can eliminate the disease. Instead, we choose to bury deaths under the carpet,"said Dr Elango. The Government General Hospital reported two rabies deaths each in April and May this year.
Rabies is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans through the infected saliva of a range of animals. In many cities, dogs have been the primary cause for spreading the virus. Officials at Chennai Corporation maintain that dog population in the city has not been on the rise. "We have outsourced dog population control to NGOs. They sterilise the animals, give them anti-rabies vaccines and let them out in the same area,"said a health department official. He said most dog bites took place in suburban areas outside city corporation limits.
