Panaji: To sustain Goa’s rabies-controlled status and respond effectively to any reintroduction of the virus, state govt has decided to implement phase II of the Rabies Free Goa Maintenance Scheme.The scheme aims to ensure intensive vaccination of both owned and stray dogs in Goa’s border talukas and adjoining talukas of Maharashtra and Karnataka, creating a protective barrier against the entry of the rabies virus from the neighbouring endemic states.The scheme also seeks to ensure prompt vaccination through ring vaccination or special campaigns in any area reporting a positive rabies case in either animals or humans.“To ensure vaccination of any area reported with a positive case, both in animal or human by ring vaccination or vaccination campaign to eliminate the virus… to ensure the safety of citizens from Rabies disease, to decrease public anxiety and Rabies deaths in Goa,” said Director of Animal Husbandry Dr Nitin Naik.Naik said the initiative will also help boost Goa’s tourism industry by reducing the rabies menace in the state.“Mission Rabies, the project of Worldwide Veterinary Service through its local Trust Worldwide Veterinary Service Goa Foundation, shall be eligible to continue the Scheme beyond March 2026 until March 2029 while simultaneously providing the necessary training and inputs to enable the Government of Goa to continue the work to maintain the Rabies Controlled Status in the future,” Naik said.
