Prospects of Tissue Culture Antirabies Vaccine in India

Abstract

The paper deals with the high endemicity of rabies in man and animals in India and the consequent large-scale use of antirabies vaccine for pre- as well as postexposure treatment. With more than three million people seeking post-exposure antirabies treatment and large number of animals requiring antirabies prophylaxis, almost the whole of the indigenous production of 35 million ml of human and 9 million ml of animal antirabies vaccine of the nervous tissue type and limited amount of tissue culture vaccine imported from other countries is utilised, and still the demand is not fully met. The scope for the use of tissue culture type of antirabies vaccine both for man and animals in view of its longer shelf life, more stability at ambient temperatures, smaller dosage required for protection, freedom from unwanted side reactions including neuroparalytic accidents and comparatively longer lasting immunity in dogs as compared to the nervous tissue type of the vaccine is discussed. The efforts and future plans of the Government to attain self-sufficiency in the production of tissue culture antirabies vaccine both for man and animals for use in the canine rabies control programme in India are also described.