Rabies confirmed after mass dog bite incident in Assam town

GUWAHATI

Dog experts detected rabies following a mass dog bite incident in Lanka town in central Assam.

On March 26, approximately 40 people in the town were repeatedly bitten by dogs. An animal care center in Sonapur, about 30 km east of Guwahati, sent a team after receiving the information on the night of March 27.

“We sent our Mission Rabies team, led by an integrated bite case management officer and supported by five animal handlers, to Lanka on March 28. Our team coordinated with the veterinary officer in Lanka, Momi Gogoi, who was already leading the local investigation,” Sashanka Sekhar Dutta, founder and managing trustee of Just Be Friendly, told *The Hindu* on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

Lanka is about 190 km east of Guwahati.

The joint team visited many affected places in the town. The bodies of two suspected rabid dogs were found, one stray and the other buried by its owner.

Samples collected from the exhumed body of the domesticated dog were temporarily stored at the JBF Integrated Care and Community and Animal Welfare Resource Center for laboratory testing. Tests at the center confirmed rabies infection. Subsequent tests conducted at the Animal Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory and College of Veterinary Medicine in Guwahati also gave a similar result.

During the investigation, all 6 bite cases were examined closely. Three cases were found to be associated with Rabies.

“This is not an isolated incident and reflects a larger ongoing public health concern, calling for sustained action through on-the-ground awareness activities about rabies risks and the importance of prevention and timely treatment,” Mr. Dutta said.

He also said that JBF, in collaboration with Mission Rabies, is working to achieve the target of making the state rabies-free by 2030 through awareness drives and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns across Assam.