A step to counter dog bites

With the increasing number of dog bite cases and difficulty in procuring the anti-rabies vaccine, the Kerala state government has given the go-ahead to manufacture the vaccine directly in its laboratory. With this move, Kerala will probably be the first state in the country to produce the vaccine directly. The vaccine for both humans and animals would be developed simultaneously at separate labs at the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAH&VB) at Palode under the state Animal Husbandry Department. It will cost the state Rs 150 crore. State Animal Husbandry Department Director N N Sasi informed that advanced cell culture technology will be used to develop the vaccine. Currently, the institute produces viral and bacterial vaccines against cattle and poultry diseases. Sasi added that their aim was to complete the infrastructure facilities and start the work within the next six months. If all goes as per plan, then production can be started in the next two-three years. He stated that Kerala is not only planning to produce the vaccine for its own use but also sell it at an affordable rate to other states where there is a shortage of anti-rabies vaccine. Once the vaccine is produced, it will be distributed through all veterinary hospitals and public health centres across the state. The health and veterinary authorities often faced problems of shortage of vaccines, delay in distribution, budget issues and complicated purchase procedures in procuring anti-rabies vaccine. As it is a government product, other states won’t have to go through complicated tender procedures. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service (NABCONS) has been entrusted with preparing the project report of the initiative.