We know how to stop rabies. We just aren’t doing it

Given the preventable yet fatal nature of this disease, there should be no justification for shortages of rabies vaccines.

A 35-year-old man recently visited Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH) seeking rabies vaccination. He had received the first dose at a government healthcare centre outside Kathmandu, but the remaining doses were unavailable. He was, then, advised to visit STIDH to complete his post-exposure prophylaxis doses. Similarly, a female resident of Nala, Kavrepalanchok district, travelled to STIDH to receive a rabies vaccination after being unable to access it locally. In fact, in recent months, dozens of animal-bite victims have visited STIDH after failing to obtain rabies vaccines, previously supplied by the government, from their local health care facilities. Shortages have also been reported in many private hospitals and pharmacies across Nepal. I have observed that the scarcity of rabies vaccines has persisted since early April. Rabies remains a major public health concern in Nepal and is invariably fatal once clinical symptoms develop. Thus, the ongoing vaccine crisis could consequently increase the risk of rabies cases in Nepal.