Bardez, Goa – In a significant step towards eradicating rabies, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, in collaboration with Mission Rabies and Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), has launched a large-scale free vaccination and education campaign in Bardez taluka. The initiative was inaugurated at Sri Sriram Vidya Mandir School, Colvale, on February 21, 2025, by Chief Minister Shri Pramod Sawant, with Animal Husbandry Minister Shri Nilkhant Halarnkar also in attendance.
The campaign aims to eliminate rabies from Bardez, which recorded three animal rabies cases in 2023 and 2024. Although Goa is a notified rabies-controlled state, cases persist in border talukas like Pernem, Bicholim, and Satari due to incursions from Maharashtra. To address this, 32 vaccination teams, five education teams, one surveillance team, 12 international volunteers, 19 veterinary professionals, 40 student volunteers, and 1,000 school students are participating in the initiative.
The campaign, led by Dr. Luke Gamble, CEO of Mission Rabies/WVS, will run until February 28, 2025. Vaccination and sterilization of stray and pet dogs will be conducted across all wards and panchayats, with sterilization procedures taking place at the WVS Hicks Training Centre in Assagao.
Various awareness activities, including student rallies, a digital awareness vehicle, a doggie float parade, street plays, and drawing competitions, have been planned throughout the campaign. The Children’s Rally and Doggie Float parade will be flagged off at different locations daily by dignitaries, including senior government officials, veterinary experts, and Rotary Club representatives.
Minister Nilkhant Halarnkar, briefing the media, emphasized that this initiative marks a crucial step in making Goa a rabies-free state, terming it the “Final Rabies Generation.”
