1. Using a modified rabies immunoglobulin protocol in a crisis of unavailability: Ethical and practical challenges
- Author
-
Omesh K Bharti
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Rabies ,medicine.medical_treatment ,030231 tropical medicine ,Immunoglobulins ,India ,Global Health ,World Health Organization ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Dogs ,Medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Post-exposure prophylaxis ,Protocol (science) ,Health Services Needs and Demand ,business.industry ,Mortality rate ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Rabies immunoglobulin ,Rabies Vaccines ,Emergency medicine ,Female ,Unavailability ,business ,Post-Exposure Prophylaxis - Abstract
Rabies is a dreaded disease of zoonotic origin, responsible for an estimated 55,000 deaths annually, of which 20,000 deaths are in India. Some animal bite patients need rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) for post exposure prophylaxis, in addition to the vaccine against rabies. The major reason for the high death rate in India is the high cost of RIG. Until 2017, the WHO-recommended protocol required a large amount of RIG. I describe how a cost-saving protocol for RIG was implemented in Himachal Pradesh. The published results contributed to the modification of the WHO’s global recommendations on RIG use.
- Published
- 2019