Local: #WRD2025 - Rabies Awareness in Sundargarh, Odisha, India

#WRD2025 - Rabies Awareness in Sundargarh, Odisha, India
Observance of World Rabies Day 2025

Department of Community Medicine,
Government Medical College & Hospital, Sundargarh, Odisha, India

World Rabies Day is observed annually on 28th September to raise awareness about rabies prevention, control, and elimination, coinciding with global efforts coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The 2025 theme — “Act Now: You, Me, Community” — called for shared responsibility and collective action in rabies prevention and community engagement. Timely awareness, responsible pet ownership, prompt post-exposure care, and community education are cornerstones of prevention of this fatal but preventable zoonotic disease, most commonly transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.

The Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College & Hospital, Sundargarh, observed World Rabies Day to promote these preventive strategies and to engage both healthcare staff and the local community in meaningful dialogue and action, under the thematic guidance of “Act Now: You, Me, Community”.

Key Activities

- Awareness Programme for Hospital Paramedical & Support Staff

📍 Venue: Hospital Premises, GMCH, Sundargarh
📅 Date: 28th September 2025

• Health talks, followed by Interactive Q&A sessions — by Interns from the Department of Community Medicine
• Topics covered included: rabies transmission, key prevention practices, bite wound care, role of vaccination, and available healthcare services for rabies exposure

- Community-Based Awareness at Anganwadi Centre

📍 Venue: Anganwadi Centre, Dengibadi, Sundargarh
📅 Date: 23rd September 2025

• Health Talks: Delivered by
  • Prof. (Dr.) Dhaneswari Jena, Head of Department
  • Dr. Ajaya Bhatta, Associate Professor
• Talks focused on:
  • Understanding rabies and its modes of transmission
  • Preventive measures including dog vaccination and wound care
  • Recognising the urgency of seeking post-exposure prophylaxis after animal bites
• Awareness Rally:
  • A spirited rally, with banners & posters, involving community members and frontline health workers — ASHAs, ANMs, Anganwadi Workers

The observance of World Rabies Day on 28th September 2025 at Government Medical College & Hospital, Sundargarh successfully amplified awareness on rabies prevention at both institutional and community levels, resonating with the global call for community participation in rabies elimination, aligning with the 2025 theme urging collective action.