Punjab health department probes anti-rabies serum shortage

India Dec 03, 2025

Punjab's health department is looking into why 173 people with grade-3 dog bites didn't get the mandatory anti-rabies serum (ARS) in six districts.
This is concerning because ARS is vital for severe bites, and the gap may have played a part in two rabies deaths this year.

Districts asked to explain missing doses

Officials noticed big differences in how ARS was given out—like in Mansa, where 44 patients missed out, and Kapurthala, where only about two-thirds got treated.
The health department now wants civil surgeons to explain what went wrong.