Why This Matters in India
India accounts for a significant share of the world's rabies deaths, and the disease remains almost entirely preventable through vaccination. Whether you own a dog, feed community dogs, or simply live in a city with a street dog population, understanding rabies basics is genuinely life-saving information — for you and for the dogs.
There is no cure after symptoms begin — in either dogs or humans. This is exactly why prevention through vaccination, and prompt action after any bite or scratch, matters so much.
How Rabies Spreads
Rabies is a viral infection transmitted almost exclusively through the saliva of an infected animal — typically via a bite, but also possible through scratches or saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth). Dogs are the primary source of human rabies cases in India.
Signs of Rabies in Dogs
- Behaviour change — unusual aggression or unusual affection
- Fever
- Excessive drooling
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Difficulty swallowing
- Paralysis, especially of the hind legs
- Disorientation, seizures
- Unprovoked aggression (the "furious" form) or extreme lethargy (the "dumb" form)
What To Do After Any Bite or Scratch
For Community Dog Feeders Specifically
If you regularly feed street dogs, a few precautions genuinely reduce your own risk without requiring you to stop caring for them:
- Avoid direct hand contact with unfamiliar dogs, especially ones showing any behaviour change
- Support or organise local rabies vaccination drives — many municipal corporations and NGOs run free vaccination camps for community dogs
- Get your own pre-exposure rabies vaccination if you interact with community dogs regularly — a simple, inexpensive series of shots that removes most of the risk
- Report any dog showing clear rabies symptoms to local animal control or an NGO rather than approaching it yourself