India, Sept. 30 -- The continuing prevalence of rabies in India is a multifaceted tragedy, and we should treat it as a public health threat of the highest order. India records millions of animal bites every year, most of them from dogs. It has the highest annual global burden of rabies deaths, at 36%. Thousands of Indians die from rabies every year. It is nearly 100% fatal in cases once clinical symptoms appear, and children living in rural and remote regions are at highest risk of fatal outcomes.

Compounding this tragedy is the emergent consensus on how public health campaigns can reduce and then eliminate the risk of rabies transmission.

On September 4, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) validated Bhutan's elimination of dog-tr...