The National Health Mission (NHM), Jharkhand, has released comprehensive guidelines to strengthen rabies prevention and management with the goal of making the state rabies-free by 2030. The move aims to ensure uniform implementation of animal bite management protocols across all districts.
According to an official release from the State IEC Cell at the RCH Campus, Campaign Director Shashi Prakash Jha on February 13 wrote to all Civil Surgeons directing strict adherence to updated protocols related to animal bite cases and post-exposure prophylaxis. The directive emphasizes prompt and standardized treatment to prevent rabies-related deaths.
Under the new plan, all district hospitals will be upgraded into Model Anti-Rabies Clinics. These clinics will feature dedicated wound-washing areas where dog or other animal bite wounds must be washed thoroughly with running water and soap for at least 15 minutes, a critical first step in preventing infection.
The guidelines also mandate the availability of Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and Anti-Rabies Serum (ARS) at every level of healthcare facility, including Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs). This step is aimed at ensuring timely access to life-saving treatment, especially in rural and remote areas.
In line with the One Health approach, human rabies has already been declared a notifiable disease in Jharkhand through a state health department notification issued on October 21, 2023. Additionally, reporting of every dog-bite case on the IHIP-IDSP portal has been made mandatory across the state to improve surveillance and response.
As per the updated vaccination protocol, the anti-rabies vaccine will now be administered via the intradermal route at a dose of 0.1 ml on days 0, 3, 7, and 28. In severe exposure cases, doctors have been instructed to administer rabies immunoglobulin as per medical guidelines to provide immediate protection.
To expand the campaign into a mass awareness movement, the Health Department has flagged off awareness vehicles that will travel across districts over the next two months. Special awareness drives will also be conducted in schools and rural areas in coordination with urban local bodies, Panchayati Raj institutions, and voluntary organisations.
Civil Surgeons have further been directed to organise specialised training sessions for medical and paramedical staff in hospitals. The training aims to ensure prompt wound management, correct vaccine administration, and adherence to updated treatment protocols to achieve the 2030 rabies-free target.
