Manipur village declared containment zone after multiple rabies case detected

Manipur's New Zoveng village was declared a containment zone on Friday after multiple cases of rabies were detected, officials told PTI. The district authorities have also restricted the movement of domesticated pets/dogs in and out of the village, which is located in Churachandpur.

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After multiple cases of rabies were confirmed in the village, it was determined by the district authorities that there was a serious threat to the health and safety of people and animals in the surrounding areas.

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District magistrate Dharun Kumar restricted the movement of domesticated pets/dogs in and out of the village and also directed officials to identify and vaccinate all pets and stray dogs in New Zoveng.

During the containment period, surveillance, door-to-door monitoring, and health check-ups will be in place to ensure the rules are followed.

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Further, during this time, the sale and transport of domestic dogs will be strictly banned as per the district magistrate's order. Any person found violating these instructions will also be liable for penal action.

Rabies in India

According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, three in every four animal bites in India are due to dogs, with over 5,700 deaths in humans estimated to occur each year due to rabies in India.

The study was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) from March 2022 to August 2023, covering 60 districts in 15 states.

The study also pointed out that among the people who had been bitten by a dog (1,576), over a fifth did not receive an anti-rabies vaccination, while two-thirds (1,043) received at least three doses.

Around half of the 1,253 individuals who received one dose did not complete their full course of vaccination, the authors of the study noted.