Shillong: Meghalaya officials launched a One Health pilot project in Shillong’s Laitumkhrah area on Monday. The program aims to kill off dog-mediated rabies. It kicks off July 22 across all 13 Laitumkhrah neighborhoods. The National Health Mission, the Health & Family Welfare Department, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, and the CRE India Foundation are teaming up for the effort.
Dr. Paul N. Chyne, joint managing director of the National Health Mission, opened the event at the Ramakrishna Mission Dispensary. He noted that community participation remains the key to the program. "The elimination of rabies requires coordinated action across multiple sectors," Dr. Chyne said.
Teams plan to vaccinate dogs and boost public awareness. They will track immunity levels using color-coded collars and a custom mobile application. This tech uses photo identification and metadata to monitor the local dog population. Dr. Harish Tiwari of CRE India wants 70 percent vaccination coverage to break the transmission cycle. He even pledged 1 lakh rupees to support the work.
Dr. David T. Sun from the Animal Husbandry department emphasized that the disease is preventable. He pointed to routine shots and stray dog sterilization as primary tools. Laitumkhrah headman Bah Andrew Dkhar pledged local support for the initiative. Authorities want to use this pilot to refine a strategy for a statewide rollout. They aim to hit the global target of zero human rabies deaths by 2030.
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