Jharkhand: All district hospitals to become model anti-rabies clinics

Ranchi: The National Health Mission, Jharkhand, has issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at strengthening rabies prevention and management across the state, to make Jharkhand rabies-free by 2030.

As per an official release from the State IEC Cell, National Health Mission, from RCH Campus, Campaign Director Shashi Prakash Jha on February 13 wrote to all Civil Surgeons directing strict implementation of protocols related to animal bite management and post-exposure prophylaxis.

Under the new directives, all district hospitals in the state will be developed as Model Anti-Rabies Clinics. Dedicated wound-washing areas will be set up in these clinics to ensure that, in cases of dog or other animal bites, wounds are washed thoroughly with running water and soap for at least 15 minutes, a critical step in preventing rabies infection, news agency UNI reported.

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The Campaign Director has also directed that Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and Anti-Rabies Serum (ARS) be made available at all levels of healthcare facilities, from Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Community Health Centres (CHCs).

In line with the One Health approach, human rabies has already been notified as a notifiable disease in Jharkhand through a state health department notification dated October 21, 2023. Reporting of every dog-bite case on the IHIP-IDSP portal has been made mandatory across the state.

As per the updated vaccination protocol, the anti-rabies vaccine will now be administered through the intradermal route at a dose of 0.1 ml on days 0, 3, 7 and 28. In severe cases, doctors have been directed to ensure administration of rabies immunoglobulin as per medical advice.

To turn the campaign into a mass movement, the Health Department has flagged off awareness vehicles that will travel across districts over the next two months to educate the public. Special awareness programmes will also be conducted in schools and rural areas in coordination with urban local bodies, Panchayati Raj institutions and voluntary organisations.

All Civil Surgeons have been further directed to organise specialised training for medical and paramedical staff posted in hospitals to ensure prompt and appropriate treatment of animal-bite cases.

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