4 min readNew DelhiJan 5, 2026 09:19 PM IST
First published on: Jan 5, 2026 at 05:50 AM IST
In a significant move to strengthen disease surveillance and ensure timely reporting and treatment, the Delhi government is set to declare human rabies a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, officials said on Sunday.
A notifiable disease in India is any disease, often infectious like dengue, tuberculosis, or COVID-19, that healthcare providers are legally required to report to public health authorities for monitoring, outbreak prevention, and control, with lists varying by state but focusing on diseases posing public health threats, including recently added ones like snakebite.
Officials said declaring human rabies a notifiable disease is a key component of the plan to achieve zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies. “Rabies is a preventable disease, and no death due to rabies is acceptable. Declaring human rabies as a notifiable disease will strengthen surveillance, improve early detection, and ensure timely treatment,” Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said. “This is an important step towards our goal of zero human deaths from rabies in Delhi.”
Sources said that the Delhi government’s decision has received a nod from L-G V K Saxena.
The move, officials said, would help authorities track disease trends, improve coordination between human and animal health systems, and enable targeted interventions in high-risk areas.
The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, provides the framework, with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) managing data collection and response, enabling early intervention and resource allocation. So far, 20 states have declared human rabies a notifiable disease, as per the official website of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s National Rabies Control Program.
In Delhi, once the notification is issued in this regard, all government and private healthcare facilities, including medical colleges and individual practitioners, will be required to report suspected, probable and confirmed cases of human rabies to the designated health authorities. The notification will come into effect immediately after issuance and remain applicable until further orders.
As per experts, rabies is almost invariably fatal once symptoms appear but is completely preventable with timely post-exposure prophylaxis.
According to the Delhi government’s Health department, anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) is currently available at 59 health facilities across all 11 districts of the Capital, while rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) is being provided at 33 designated hospitals and centres. These facilities form the city’s primary rabies prevention and treatment network.
The government is also in the process of finalising the State Action Plan for Rabies Elimination (SAPRE) in coordination with local bodies, the Animal Husbandry department and other stakeholders.
Alongside mandatory notification, officials said the government is working to further strengthen vaccination facilities for humans as well as dogs and other animals. Public health experts have long advocated mandatory reporting of rabies to enable quicker public health responses and better data-driven interventions. Officials said the move is expected to improve early reporting and help prevent further transmission.
Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor of Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, said reporting the cases will help tremendously. “If there is a disease like polio, is it really being controlled or not, we keep monitoring through the numbers that are being reported. Our biggest priority is that it helps in monitoring. Deaths due to rabies were being reported earlier also but it was not mandatory and in a city like Delhi what the death load is like we don’t know. The notification will show us a clear picture.
“It is highly under-reported. So, at least, this will provide the complete data,” Dr Rai said.
Important step towards goal of zero deaths, says Minister (File photo/Canva) 
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