Pregnant with puppies

In New Delhi, some migrants from central-eastern India espouse a belief in ‘puppy pregnancy’, or the notion that after being bitten by a dog its puppies are conceived within the abdomen and their growth leads to an awful death. This article suggests that this belief is related to the widespread fear of rabies. This lethal infectious disease causes one-half of deaths in India, leaving behind grief-stricken families and shocked communities. This rabies-related shock results not only from the disease per se but also from the long, painful, and disturbing post-bite vaccination prophylaxis, using a nervous tissue vaccine, in which bite victims receive fourteen distressing injections in the abdomen in the hope of saving them from death. I propose here that dread of this vaccination may have stimulated, within an already fertile cultural milieu, the belief in this unnatural, animal pregnancy

Il ruolo degli animali dopo la morte. Note per un’antropologia della vita

Based on ethnographic research carried out in Delhi, Varanasi and Mumbai (India), this article analyses the role of three necrophagous species in the disposal of human corpses within the Hindu and Parsi religious contexts. In order to resolve the problem represented by the presence in the great Indian rivers of totally or partially unburnt corpses, the Ganga Action Plan has foreseen for many years the use of Chelydra serpentina, or common snapping turtle, but in the meantime dogs continue to be the most efficient and most numerous scavengers. In Mumbai, the Parsi have counted for centuries on the vultures, with their excellent scavenging skills, to consume the corpses exposed on the dakhma or towers of silence. Nevertheless, over the last twenty years, these birds have almost completely disappeared, due to the diclofenac used to treat the cattle that are part of their diet and forcing this community to face sensitive questions of a practical nature, which highlight the need to reconsider the role of animals in the lifecycle and death of human beings

WHO's latest rabies recommendations and guidance save lives and reduce the cost of treatment

Rabies vaccination is a crucial part of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), but it tends to consist of long and costly regimens of intramuscular (IM) injections. Most human rabies deaths are caused by delayed access, unaffordability or ineffective delivery of PEP. Reducing these barriers is crucial to ensure that this incurable yet preventable disease does not cost lives. In 2022, WHO published new guidance towards the introduction or expansion of rabies vaccination into national immunization programmes to systematically drive down human rabies deaths effectively and cost-efficiently. Such guidance grounds on the latest scientific recommendation provided by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts in 2018. WHO recommends a shortened 1-week rabies vaccination schedule, with visits on days 0, 3 and 7. On each visit, a 2-site intradermal (ID) injection (using only 0.1 ml of vaccine in each site) is administered. ID administration allows for vials to be shared among several patients within a 6-8 hours timeline. Compared to IM administration, ID is cost- and dose-sparing, even in low-throughput clinics. Additionally, this regimen requires only 3 visits to the healthcare facility, improving patient compliance. However, the uptake of this shortened ID regimen remains limited. It should now be a matter of urgency for Health Ministries in rabies-endemic settings to adopt the WHO-recommended shortened ID vaccination schedule and ensure appropriate medical training to improve PEP delivery. This will enable countries to improve PEP delivery and allow underserved populations to access affordable, life-saving rabies vaccines

“Per fortuna ci sono le mucche.” Brevi considerazioni sul valore del pañcgavya

This article analyses the value of pañcgavya and its role in Hindu culture and religion. “Pañcgavya” is a Sanskrit word which means “the five of the cow”, i.e. milk, curd, clarified butter, dung and urine. These five products can be used one by one or combined together in proper ratio. For centuries they have been used in traditional Hindu rituals as prasad (religious offering consumed by the worshippers), as medicaments in Ayurvedic medicine and as fertilizers and pesticides. Nowadays these cow products are utilized for personal hygiene and for household cleanliness as well. The medicinal usage of pañcgavya, particularly cow urine, is commonly known as “cowpathy” and is very appreciated by Indian, especially Hindu, consumers. The reasons of this success are the eco-friendliness of these natural products and, above all, the fact that they come from the body of the most esteemed animal of India. In Hindu culture the cow is considered to be the highest example of purity and perfection and the best emblem of generosity and plenty. The “five of the cow” are the most important products of this magnanimity

Ante-litteram one health in India: three examples of community-based debate and action on multispecies wellbeing

Historical research on One Health is offering interesting information about the development of this concept within human and animal health institutions and professions. In contrast, little is known about whether and how local communities have discussed – in their own terms – and managed One Health issues. This paper presents three examples of community-led debate and action on One Health in India: the eco-religion of Bishnois, the collapse of the vulture population, and plastic pollution in cows’ bodies. More research from the social sciences and the humanities is necessary to understand and learn from the dynamics of multispecies entanglements at the local level