Guwahati: A new scientific study has uncovered a silent but severe public health crisis unfolding inside Assam’s iconic tea estates, where children and families face disproportionately high risks from dog bites and dangerously low access to life-saving rabies vaccines.
Studies have shown that rabies disproportionately affects marginalised and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations who often lack awareness of the consequences of untreated dog bites and have limited capacity to seek timely medical care.
Moreover, free-roaming dogs (FRD) often reside near the residential settlements of such vulnerable communities, significantly increasing the risk of dog bites.
Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the study tracked 1,187 animal-bite cases across 11 tea estates in Udalguri district over a 28-month period. What it found, researchers say, should serve as a wake-up call for health authorities.
“Tea-estate communities face unique health challenges, including rabies-related deaths resulting from animal bites. This study, the first in this domain, comprehensively evaluates incidences of animal bites in the TE community in a district of Assam state in India.
It demonstrates high vulnerabilities to potential dog-mediated rabies and highlights the disparities in adherence to preventive practices attributable to spatial, demographic and behavioural community practices,” the authors say.
The data reveals that tea garden communities—already among the most socioeconomically vulnerable populations in Assam—experience a cumulative annual dog-bite incidence of 11.8 per 1,000 people.
In some estates, the situation is far worse: Hattigore Tea Estate recorded a staggering 36.9 bites per 1,000 people, more than three times the WHO-defined average risk for such populations.
Dog bites accounted for 66% of all exposures, and three out of four cases involved actual bites rather than scratches, indicating high-risk contact.
But the most alarming finding is who is getting bitten.
Nearly one in three victims (35%) was a child, some as young as nine months old. Children were also significantly more likely to be bitten by dogs and to require post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), highlighting the vulnerability of young boys and girls who often play unsupervised in labour lines and tea garden surroundings.
Dependents—mostly children and elderly family members—made up the largest affected group at 32%.
The study suggests a mix of factors behind this pattern: lack of fenced play areas, free-roaming dog populations, and limited supervision as both parents typically work long hours in the fields.
Rabies is almost 100% fatal once symptoms appear, yet entirely preventable with timely treatment. Despite this, the study found that only 43% of bite victims completed the full five-dose PEP regimen, and even receiving three doses—considered the bare minimum—depended heavily on which tea estate a person lived in.
Estate-level disparities were so sharp that up to 88% of the variation in vaccination completion was due not to individual choices, but to where victims lived. Some estates had reliable vaccine access and transport; others did not.
For families with daily-wage incomes, multiple trips to distant health centres often mean choosing between treatment and a day’s wages.
Researchers warn that tea estates remain largely invisible in national rabies surveillance systems. Despite contributing substantially to Assam’s economy, tea garden communities often operate outside the robust health infrastructure available elsewhere.
The paper describes tea estates as “high-risk pockets” where a combination of low awareness, poor access to vaccines, and frequent human-animal interactions create ideal conditions for rabies transmission.
What Needs to Change
The study calls for urgent, targeted interventions. It emphasises the need for reliable and free PEP availability within or near tea estates so that victims do not have to depend on distant health centres for life-saving treatment. It also highlights the importance of establishing estate-level bite reporting systems to ensure timely documentation and response to animal-bite incidents.
Community awareness drives are another priority, as many residents remain unaware of the dangers of untreated bites or the importance of completing vaccination schedules. The study further stresses the need for better childcare and supervised play areas, given that children are the most frequent victims and often play unsupervised in open spaces where free-roaming dogs are common.
Stray dog vaccination and population management are identified as essential components in reducing the risk of dog-mediated rabies. Finally, the authors call for a One Health approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health practices to address the issue holistically and sustainably.
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