Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 01:38pm on 06 Sep 2026,Sunday Health & Wellness
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Bhutan for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies as a public health problem, making it the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve the milestone. Bhutan has recorded zero rabies deaths since 2023, following more than a decade of sustained investment in a One Health approach integrating human, animal and environmental health. The achievement offers a potential blueprint for the global goal of ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. The validation followed a rigorous assessment by a regional Dossier Review Group convened by WHO with support from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), including a joint field mission conducted in Bhutan from August 17 to 22, 2026. (PC: The Print)
