World Rabies Day is today, risk rising amid vaccine crisis

Minhaj, a seven-year-old from Gazipur, took two doses of the rabies vaccine on a doctor's advice after being injured by a dog bite. When it was time for the third dose, as the vaccine was not available locally, he was taken to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali. He was given the third dose there on Sunday.

According to information from the CDC branch of the Directorate General of Health Services, on average, 500,000 to 600,000 people in the country are attacked by various animals each year. Among them, about 95 percent of rabies infections occur from dog bites. In 2023, 42 people died of rabies, 58 in 2024, and 59 in 2025. As of August this year, 35 people have died.

The pressure of patients affected by animal bites at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali has also increased. According to hospital data, 93,380 people received treatment for bites from various animals in 2023. In 2024, the number rose to 122,263, and in 2025, it stood at 146,243. As of September 17 this year, about 107,558 people have received treatment.

Doctors say that after a dog, cat, or fox bite, the wound should be washed quickly with soap and water and a doctor's advice should be sought. If the wound is deep or bleeding, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) must be administered as needed in addition to the rabies vaccine. If bitten on the head, face, or near the neck, treatment should not be delayed in any way.

According to the World Health Organization, about 59,000 people die of rabies worldwide every year, a large proportion of whom are children. There is a global goal to bring human deaths from dog-mediated rabies to zero by 2030.

The Directorate General of Health Services has said that there are programs to supply about 900,000 doses of rabies vaccine and 300,000 doses of rabies immunoglobulin in the current fiscal year. However, victims allege that because vaccines are unavailable when needed in many places outside Dhaka, they have to buy vaccines from outside at higher prices or come to Dhaka. On the other hand, CDC Assistant Director Dr. Mohammad Nazmul Hasan has claimed that there is currently no vaccine shortage at the government level.