Health & Environment
NIMHANS Study Investigates Rabies Deaths Despite Vaccination
India Today1h
THE BRIEF
1
A NIMHANS study of 89 laboratory-confirmed rabies deaths found that true vaccine failure is rare, with most cases linked to deviations in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
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Researchers identified critical lapses such as inadequate wound washing, incorrect vaccine injection sites, and failure to properly administer rabies immunoglobulin for Category III bites.
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India records approximately 9.1 million animal bites annually, resulting in an estimated 5,726 human rabies deaths, according to 2024 ICMR-NIE data.