TASHI DEKI | Thimphu
Bhutan will strengthen surveillance, vaccination and cross-border coordination to prevent the reintroduction of rabies, particularly along the country’s porous southern border, following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) validation of Bhutan’s elimination of dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem.
The measures were outlined by Health Secretary Pemba Wangchuk during the 31st Meet the Press held on 11 September. WHO officially confirmed Bhutan’s elimination status on September 1, 2026. According to the Secretary, Bhutan has maintained zero human rabies deaths since 2023, marking a significant shift from the period when rabies was endemic across the country.
“Bhutan reached a landmark public health milestone by maintaining zero human rabies deaths since 2023,” Secretary Pemba Wangchuk said.
He said the achievement was the result of a long-term national effort that moved away from conventional reactive measures towards a One Health approach involving human health, animal health, local governments, field workers and communities.
Rabies was endemic throughout Bhutan in the 1990s and affected both human and animal populations across the country. The Royal Government began systematic rabies control programmes in the early 1990s.
Between 2006 and 2023, Bhutan recorded 19 human deaths from rabies. Of the total, 14, or 74 percent, were male. Ten cases were recorded among adults, eight among school-aged children between five and 14 years, and one among a child below five years.
A major shift in the country’s rabies control efforts followed a Royal Audience granted by His Majesty the King to officials from the Department of Livestock and the De-Suung organisation on July 30, 2021. The meeting helped strengthen the national move towards a coordinated One Health approach, including humane dog population management, animal welfare and protection of human health.
In March 2022, Bhutan launched the Nationwide Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme (NADPM & RCP) across all 20 Dzongkhags following a Royal Command.
The programme resulted in 100 percent sterilisation coverage and more than 90 percent rabies vaccination coverage among free-roaming dogs. It also led to the microchipping and registration of 32,544 pet dogs and the initiation of the Chagkhyi, or native dog, breed development and conservation programme.
Bhutan brought dog-transmitted human rabies mortality down to zero in 2023 and has maintained that status through access to post-exposure prophylaxis and continued disease surveillance.
With the WHO validation now secured, authorities are focusing on preventing the disease from being re-established, particularly through potential cross-border transmission from neighbouring areas.
The Health Secretary said Bhutan is strengthening transboundary coordination with neighbouring Indian states through information-sharing, joint disease surveillance, coordinated responses to suspected rabies events and collaboration on dog vaccination initiatives where appropriate.
“Going forward, our approach will focus on prevention, early detection and rapid response, guided by a One Health framework,” he said.
As part of this effort, the Department of Livestock has established Animal Control Units (ACUs) in Gelephu and Sarpang. These units serve as frontline monitoring mechanisms for tracking dog populations, identifying unusual health events and suspected cases, and triggering timely investigations.
Two additional ACUs are scheduled to be established in Phuentsholing and Samtse under Phase 3 of the NADPM & RCP during fiscal year 2026–2027.
The expansion of ACUs is particularly important for strengthening surveillance in border areas, where the movement of animals across the border could pose a risk to Bhutan’s rabies-free status.
Pemba Wangchuk said the country will also maintain annual mass dog vaccination campaigns in high-risk border areas, with a target of at least 70 percent vaccination coverage among free-roaming dogs.
At the national level, Bhutan will sustain 100 percent sterilisation coverage among free-roaming dogs. Authorities will also promote responsible pet ownership through vaccination, registration, microchipping and proper management of pets to prevent abandonment and the replenishment of free-roaming dog populations.
Another key component of the prevention strategy is maintaining universal access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
According to the Health Secretary, PEP will continue to be provided free of charge across all 20 Dzongkhags so that people exposed to potentially rabid animals can receive immediate treatment.
“Human and animal health sectors, local governments, and other One Health stakeholders conduct joint investigations and coordinated rapid containment whenever a suspect case arises,” Pemba Wangchuk said.
Community participation will also remain central to the surveillance system. Communities are expected to report unusual animal behaviour or suspected exposures promptly so that health and animal health authorities can investigate and respond before the disease spreads.
The government formally launched NADPM & RCP Phase 3.0 on September 5, building on the achievements of the earlier phases. The third phase is intended to sustain the progress made in dog population management, strengthen surveillance and protect high-risk border areas from possible cross-border incursions.
The WHO validation on September 1 was described by the Health Secretary as a major milestone, but not the end of Bhutan’s rabies control efforts.
“WHO validation marks not an end to Bhutan’s rabies control efforts, but the commencement of a new phase of sustained vigilance and renewed national responsibility,” he said.
Bhutan’s next challenge will therefore be to maintain the systems that enabled it to achieve elimination while remaining alert to the risk of reintroduction. This will require continued vaccination and sterilisation of dogs, surveillance in border areas, rapid investigation of suspected cases, community reporting and coordination between human and animal health sectors.
The government’s strategy is based on maintaining the gains already achieved while ensuring that any possible introduction of rabies is detected and contained at the earliest stage.
With the country now officially recognised by WHO for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem, authorities are seeking to ensure that the milestone is sustained through continued surveillance, prevention and rapid response.
