HSI’s Haryana Project: Exploring synergies between rabies prevention and DPM

In 2015, following successful rabies vaccination and dog population management (DPM) and rabies vaccination programs in Jaipur, Jamshedpur and several other Indian cities, Humane Society International (HSI) was requested to bid on a DPM project to encompass the entire northern Indian state of Haryana, home to some 25 million people. Although Haryana is a relatively prosperous state, unconfined dogs are commonly seen in towns and villages, and rabies is a significant public health problem. This new initiative followed a decision by the Indian Ministry of Health to increase the prioritization of canine rabies vaccination activities in India, and is consistent with Supreme Court orders issued in 2015 and 2016 that directed states and local bodies to tackle dog population through humane animal birth control protocols. These orders came after repeated reports of dog culling and dog abuse across India.

Recognizing the potential synergies between rabies control and DPM, along with the high cost of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, the government of Haryana and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) subsequently entered into an agreement with HSI to implement a program of systematic canine rabies vaccination and humane, sterilization-based DPM across Haryana state.

In preparation for this major undertaking, HSI conducted a scientific dog survey in Haryana in June and October, 2014. The goals of the survey were to:- 1) collect baseline data prior to initiating the program; 2) establish a standardized framework for program impact assessment; and 3) estimate the size of the dog population to assist with strategic and logistical planning for the rabies vaccination and DPM programs. The survey used a stratified-random sampling plan that distinguished between 21 geographical districts and five human population density categories, and drew random samples from within each unique combination of district and human density. The sampled areas consisted of 1 km2 plots, of which 209 were ultimately surveyed.

In addition to counting dogs in these plots, several attributes were recorded for each dog, including sex, age, health status, reproductive status and whether the dog was free to roam or confined. HSI also conducted household surveys in many of these plots to generate a population size estimate for owned dogs and to obtain information on human attitudes and practices as they relate to dog welfare and human safety. After correcting data for incomplete dog detection and survey coverage, HSI extrapolated data across Haryana and estimated a total population of approximately 1.9 million free-roaming dogs, or about 7.5 free-roaming dogs/100 people. About half of these dogs are owned and half are not.  In addition, an estimated 660,000 owned dogs are confined to their owner’s property.    The total dog population is around 2.5 million (or 10 dogs per 100 people).  There was a clear inverse relationship between human density and dog numbers with urban areas having around 2 dogs and rural communities having more than 10 dogs per 100 people.

Program implementation began in August, 2015 with about 90 ground staff aiming initially to vaccinate 1,000 -1,200 dogs/day and sterilize approximately 250 dogs/day.  By March 2017, the implementation plan called for HSI to achieve and confirm a rabies vaccination rate of at least 70% in five targeted districts in the Hisar Division (out of 21 districts in Haryana). As of May 31, 2016, the one-year anniversary of the program, 18,550 dogs, approximately equal numbers of males and females, had been sterilized and vaccinated by the DPM  unit, and an additional 74,014 dogs had been vaccinated by the Mass Dog Vaccination unit.

Although the primary goal of this program is effective rabies control, HSI also seeks to improve the standards for animal health and welfare, to foster a better relationship between people and dogs, and to explore the benefits of sterilization-based DPM from the perspective of rabies control. Toward that end, sterilizations are being performed in selected areas to investigate how rabies control may benefit as a result of humane DPM. “The synergies between rabies control and humane dog population management are a critical new area of interest”, says Dr Andrew Rowan, the HSI CEO. “By taking this more holistic approach, we believe we can achieve both our public health goals and our animal welfare goals more effectively and efficiently. Ultimately, we hope that this program not only benefits Haryana, but serves as a broadly-applicable model for integrating rabies control and humane dog management at a large scale”. 

Contributed by Amit Chaudhary B.V.Sc., Senior Manager of Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment, Humane Society International  (Asia);  John Boone Ph.D., Consultant, Humane Society International; and Joann Lindenmayer D.V.M., M.P.H., Senior Manager of Disaster Operations, Humane Society International. Further information about the project’s launch and recent progress can be found on the HSI website.