Mumbai reported no deaths from rabies in 2025 as the civic administration began the second phase of its rabies-control project, setting targets that include making the city a rabies-controlled area by 2027 and achieving zero rabies deaths by 2030.
The second phase was launched by Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde at an event held at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo in Byculla on the occasion of World Rabies Day. An information booklet outlining the campaign was unveiled at the programme.
Tawde praised the veterinary health department for its efforts under the city’s rabies elimination campaign. She said the civic administration planned to establish a dedicated rabies clinic in every municipal ward, supported by adequately staffed teams with specialised training.
The proposed ward-level clinics are expected to provide modern vaccination services for rabies prevention around the clock. Tawde directed the civic machinery to ensure that residents receive immediate and appropriate treatment in the event of a dog-bite incident anywhere in Mumbai.
She also instructed officials to make dedicated dog-catching vehicles available in every ward for updated veterinary treatment and related operations. The announcement places ward-level response capacity alongside vaccination and surveillance as key parts of the second phase.
According to the project plan, the civic administration will continue efforts to vaccinate stray dogs, expand the reach of vaccination drives, improve surveillance and identify dog-bite cases promptly. Mumbai has set an annual target of vaccinating between 55,000 and 60,000 dogs over the next three years. Regular surveys will also be conducted as part of population management and monitoring.
The campaign will also include a public-awareness programme aimed at reaching five lakh students and 5,000 teachers. The education component is intended to improve awareness of rabies prevention and the response required after a dog bite.
The announcement comes as conflicts between people and animals increasingly affect neighbourhoods and households, according to the report. The civic administration has also ordered that anti-rabies vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin serum be made available at the Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana facilities. The direction was issued by Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajakta Verma-Lavangare to the public health department.
Dr Ajit Shewale, joint director in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, assured the campaign of the ministry’s support in working towards the 2030 target. The report said Mumbai had performed strongly in recent years among major Indian cities under the rabies elimination campaign and was among the leading cities in implementing its action plan.
The next phase will therefore depend on whether the announced ward clinics, emergency vaccine and serum availability, dog vaccination targets, surveillance systems and awareness programme are implemented consistently across the city. The municipal administration’s stated milestones are to make Mumbai a rabies-controlled area by 2027 and reach zero rabies deaths by 2030.
