Official apathy, lack of awareness blamed for surge in rabies deaths

From five in 2020, the number of people who died from rabies increased to 26 in 2024

- Biju E Paul @ Alappuzha

Poor monitoring by local bodies, a social and cultural apathy towards waste management and inadequate awareness about infections and the need for vaccinations are being blamed for the rapid rise in rabid-dog attacks and deaths due to rabies in the state.

According to data made available by the state health department in reply to an RTI application, 94 people have died from rabies infection in the state over the past five years. Stray dogs have bit around 12.94 lakh people over the same period. From five in 2020, the number of people who died from rabies increased to 26 in 2024.