New Delhi: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Friday told the Lok Sabha that the government has not received any reports indicating a nationwide shortage of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV).
However, temporary local shortages may occur in some health facilities due to increased demand, procurement delays or supply chain issues, and such situations are addressed by the concerned state and Union Territory governments through redistribution of available stocks, emergency procurement and strengthening of supply chain management, he said.
Nadda clarified that health is a state subject and the primary responsibility for procurement, distribution and ensuring uninterrupted availability of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) and rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) in public health facilities rests with the respective state and UT governments.
“The Government of India has not received reports indicating any nationwide shortage of Anti-Rabies Vaccine,” he said.
The minister said the Centre continuously reviews the implementation of the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) through periodic review meetings with states and union territories.
He said advisories are issued from time to time to all states to maintain uninterrupted supply of ARV and RIG through funds allocated under the National Free Drug Initiative (NFDI).
Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the Centre provides technical and financial support to states for strengthening their healthcare systems based on proposals submitted by them in their Programme Implementation Plans, subject to norms and availability of resources, Nadda said.
Under the NRCP, funds have been allocated through the NHM to states and UTs under the NFDI for procurement of ARV and RIG. Procurement of the vaccines and immunoglobulin is decentralised, he informed.
Support under the NRCP includes procurement of ARV and RIG, establishment and strengthening of anti-rabies clinics and wound-washing facilities, strengthening rabies diagnostic laboratories, training of medical officers and healthcare workers on rabies case management, strengthening surveillance and reporting of human rabies, information, education and communication (IEC) and behaviour change communication (BCC) activities, and programme monitoring and review.
The minister said the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 was conceptualised under the NRCP and jointly launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Responding to another question, Nadda said data on the number of persons who have received anti-rabies vaccine is not maintained centrally.
He said states and UTs have been advised to notify rabies as a notifiable disease and report rabies cases and deaths on the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform.
However, state-wise data on human rabies deaths is not maintained centrally.
Nadda said measures taken under the NRCP at the central level include launch of the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 (NAPRE-2030), financial support to states and UTs for procurement of ARV and anti-rabies serum (ARS), establishment of model anti-rabies clinics and wound-washing facilities, strengthening of surveillance, monitoring, IEC activities and capacity building.
The Centre has also strengthened 14 rabies diagnostic laboratories, issued advisories to states and UTs for notifying rabies as a notifiable disease and ensuring uninterrupted availability of ARV and ARS, constituted a National Joint Steering Committee for Rabies Elimination, developed national guidelines, standard operating procedures and training modules, undertaken community awareness campaigns and launched a dedicated NRCP website.
He said the Rabies Helpline (15400) has been launched in five states — Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Puducherry.
At the state level, seven states and UTs — Puducherry, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — have developed State Action Plans for Rabies Elimination (SAPRE), he said.
Besides, 284 model anti-rabies clinics have been established, state and district joint steering committees for rabies elimination have been constituted, around 1.66 lakh healthcare professionals have been trained on animal-bite management and rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, and community awareness campaigns are being carried out.
The Rabies-Free City Initiative is currently being implemented in 15 cities across six states, with plans to expand it to 114 cities, the minister said.
