Delhi Rabies Deaths: RTI Reveals 18 Fatalities Despite Government's "Zero Deaths" Claim in Parliament

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New Delhi:

An RTI response has revealed a significant discrepancy regarding rabies mortality data in Delhi, contradicting the Union government's Parliamentary statement that claimed zero deaths between 2022 and 2024.

According to documents from Maharshi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital, Delhi's only specialized infectious diseases facility operated by the Municipal Corporation, 18 rabies fatalities were recorded during this timeframe. The hospital documented six deaths in 2022, two in 2023, and ten in 2024 at its Kingsway Camp location.

These findings directly contradict the written statement provided in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying SP Singh Baghel. While his response claimed Delhi experienced "zero human rabies deaths" from January 2022 to January 2025, the same document acknowledged increasing animal bite incidents: 6,691 cases in 2022, 17,874 in 2023, and 25,210 in 2024.

This data inconsistency raises serious concerns about health surveillance gaps and reporting inaccuracies for rabies, a disease that remains entirely preventable but nearly always fatal once symptoms manifest.

The minister's parliamentary statement indicated that states must upload monthly statistics on dog bites and rabies deaths to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme portal under the National Rabies Control Programme, designed to enhance nationwide monitoring efforts.

The National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030, launched jointly in 2021 by the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, divides responsibilities between two agencies. The National Centre for Disease Control manages human health aspects, while the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying supervises animal health components.

This strategic plan emphasizes widespread dog vaccination and sterilization campaigns alongside ensuring consistent availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin at government hospitals. These essential medications are provided without charge under the National Free Drug Initiative and are included in essential drug lists across Indian states.