Pune: The civic body’s Dr Naidu Infectious Disease Hospital has admitted 82 rabies patients between 2022 and March 2025. All the patients were brought in from the peripheral and rural areas after symptoms had already appeared.Pune district health officer Dr Ramchandra Hankare said most patients who contract rabies either fail to treat their wounds properly or receive incomplete treatment.Rabies is a 100% fatal viral disease once clinical symptoms appear and is responsible for nearly 20,000 deaths annually in India.According to data from Naidu Hospital, there were 22 rabies deaths in 2022; 23 in 2023; 12 in 2024; 18 in 2025; and 7 deaths reported till the end of March 2026.“As per municipal data, around 60,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccines are required across all civic hospitals. These vaccines are procured through local tenders issued by the corporation. Anti-rabies injections are provided free of cost at all municipal hospitals. In private clinics, the cost of a vaccine dose ranges between Rs 300 and Rs 400, while immunoglobulin injections start at Rs 4,000. In cases of deep or bleeding wounds, immunoglobulin serum is administered in conjunction with the vaccine. PMC has not reported any rabies-related human deaths within city limits in the past four years. The cases reported at Naidu Hospital are from outside PMC limits, sometimes even from outside Pune district,” said Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).“As Naidu Hospital is the state’s primary infectious diseases isolation centre, all patients showing rabies symptoms are referred here. In rural areas, we have sufficient stock of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins at rural, sub-district, maternity, and district hospitals. Patients are referred to Naidu only after they begin showing symptoms and require isolation,” Hankare added.He further said that if a canine bites a person, the wound must be washed immediately with soap and water, and the anti-rabies vaccine should be administered without delay.“Depending on the severity and location of the wound, vaccination within 24 hours is critical. If required, immunoglobulin is administered at a secondary care centre. Medical officers have also been instructed to procure vaccines locally in case of shortages,” he added.
