Shimla leads the way in rabies control with hands-on training for veterinary officers

A practical training programme on brain sample collection for rabies diagnosis in animals was organised at the State Veterinary Hospital, Shimla. The session was inaugurated by Dr Sanjeev Dhiman, Director of Animal Husbandry, who graced the event as the chief guest.

Over 10 veterinary officers from different districts of Himachal Pradesh participated in the training. The programme was coordinated by Dr Anil Kumar Sharma, District Nodal Officer (Rabies Surveillance), Shimla, with Dr Anuj Bali serving as the resource person for the technical sessions. The Deputy Director (Animal Health/Breeding) was also present and praised the initiative, noting that “Shimla is setting an example for the state and the nation through such pioneering steps.”

In his address, Dr Dhiman underscored the importance of holding such hands-on trainings regularly at State Training Centres and Laboratories to strengthen field-level capacity building. He also commended the ongoing ‘Rabies Mukt Shimla’ mass dog vaccination campaign being jointly carried out by Humane People NGO (Rampur), Mission Rabies India, the Shimla Municipal Corporation and other NGOs.

Highlighting the veterinarians’ role in rabies control, Dr Anil Kumar Sharma stressed that rabies — being a zoonotic disease of grave public health significance — can only be eliminated through collective and sustained efforts.