NT Reporter
Mapusa
A special rabies vaccination and awareness campaign covering Bardez taluka was launched on Friday with 200 volunteers set to conduct a door-to-door vaccination drive till February 27 as part of efforts to make Goa rabies-free.
Bardez taluka has been divided into four zones, and 36 teams have been deployed for the vaccination drive.
“Goa has been declared a rabies-controlled state and the government is working towards making it a rabies-free state,” said Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Nilkanth Halarnkar. He said initiatives are being taken to eradicate the disease from its roots and appealed to the public to cooperate in the drive and ensure that dogs are vaccinated to make Mission Rabies successful.
Dr Murugan Appupillai, director of education, Mission Rabies, said that rabies is not only a threat in India but in other countries as well. “It has been 10 years since Mission Rabies began working towards eliminating rabies and that Goa is now a rabies-controlled state. The Goa model is being adopted by other states and countries as zero rabies death cases have been reported in the state,” he said.
Deputy Speaker and Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza said that the initiative is a significant step towards building a safer community for the country and for all.
The campaign has been launched by Mission Rabies, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), Goa.
Present at the launch were Halarnkar, D’Souza, Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Dr Nitin Naik, president of Goa Animal Federation KD Row, director of Animal Welfare, Mission Rabies Julie Corfmat, and Appupillai among others.
