KANCHANPUR: Rabies has emerged as a growing public health challenge in Sudurpaschim Province, spreading among animals and humans primarily through fox and stray dog bites.
According to Naresh Prasad Joshi, senior veterinary doctor at the Animal Disease Research Laboratory in Dhangadhi, at least 18 animals have died from rabies in the past 20 days alone.
“In the past three years, rabies has been confirmed in 371 animals, based only on cases reported to the laboratory. Meanwhile, at least five human deaths have been reported due to rabies, though the actual number could be higher due to underreporting,” he said.
Joshi added that a 70-year-old woman from Surma Rural Municipality–2 in Bajhang recently died from rabies. Earlier this year, in the month of Ashar, a child in Baitadi also succumbed to the disease.
The highest number of rabies cases have been reported in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. In the fiscal year 2081/82, 136 out of 170 samples collected tested positive for rabies. Kailali recorded the most infections, with 78 out of 98 samples testing positive, followed by Kanchanpur with 43 out of 53. Other districts affected include Achham (5 out of 7), Bajhang (3), and Doti (6 out of 8).
A rabies case was confirmed just two days ago in an animal wandering and biting other animals in Godawari Municipality-6, Kailali. The sample tested positive after being examined by the laboratory’s Rapid Response Team (RRT).
Previously, rabies was confirmed in a dog in Shuklaphanta Municipality-1, Kanchanpur, raising fear among residents in Ward No. 12 of the same municipality. Ram Prasad Bhatta, head of the municipality’s Livestock Development Branch, said foxes and jackals have increasingly entered human settlements due to the destruction of their natural habitats, particularly sugarcane plantations.
“After the sugarcane harvest, foxes and jackals lose their shelters and feeding areas. Searching for food, they enter settlements, bite domestic dogs and livestock, accelerating the spread of rabies,” Bhatta explained.
Veterinarian Bhojraj Pandeya emphasized that although rabies is fatal, timely treatment can save lives. He advised that any animal bite should be thoroughly washed with soap and clean water for 10–15 minutes, and even minor wounds should prompt immediate visits to health facilities for rabies vaccination.
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