By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Bhubaneswar Muncipal Corporation (BMC) will be rabies free by 11-06-2026 Rikh:2030. BMC, Health Department, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department, Education Department, Urban Surveillance Monitoring Unit and Rabies Control State Nodal Agency, jointly gave technical approval for the mass vaccination programme. As a result, the mass rabid dog vaccination programme has been completed ahead of schedule and has been appreciated across the country, said Hon’ble Mayor Smt. Sulochana Das.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion, he said that under the National Programme for Rabies Eradication (NAPRE) of the Union Government, more than 70 percent of dogs in a specific geographical area are being vaccinated against rabies. This is to increase herd immunity and effectively protect humans from rabies virus infection from dogs.
However, to make this campaign a success, BMC has adopted various measures. These include ward-wise mass vaccination, street-wise vaccination, catching dogs by hand, catching dogs by throwing nets, administering anti-rabies vaccination, adopting special methods to identify vaccinated stray dogs. Arrangements were made to keep accurate information on how many stray dogs have been vaccinated at what time in a special mobile app.
It is noteworthy that blood samples were collected from the vaccinated dogs and the antibodies produced in them were evaluated. The National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, organized the event on 28-29 May 2026 in New Delhi. In this, the Bhubaneswar Metropolitan Corporation was honored for mass vaccination of stray dogs at the National Workshop on State Action Plan for Elimination of Rabies in Dogs. The M.D.V. program is the first of its kind in Odisha, which aims to make Bhubaneswar a rabies-free city by 2030.
In 73 days, 75 percent of stray dogs in BMC area have been vaccinated. This means that this year, 47 thousand 126 stray dogs have been confirmed in the stray dog census, while 35 thousand 395 stray dogs have been vaccinated from 67 wards of BMC. Commissioner Shri Chanchal Rana has expressed gratitude for the unwavering cooperation received from the citizens of Bhubaneswar in this initiative.
The press conference was attended by the Mayor, Deputy Commissioner Suman Kishore Dungdung, Municipal Veterinary Doctor Devi Prasad Kundu, Doctor Deepak Kumar Bindhani, and Doctor Prashant Kumar Sika.
