The Greater Chennai Corporation launched a city-wide anti-rabies vaccination and deworming campaign on Tuesday, 11 August, targeting approximately two lakh stray dogs across Chennai within 75 working days — the Corporation's most ambitious push yet toward its stated goal of a 'Rabies-Free Chennai'.

How the Drive Works

Under the campaign, stray dogs are being caught zone-wise and administered anti-rabies vaccines by dedicated veterinary teams. Each animal is also treated for internal and external parasites through deworming medication, then marked with coloured paint for identification before being released at the exact location where it was caught.

The Corporation has deployed 30 teams with a daily target of vaccinating approximately 3,000 stray dogs. The drive is beginning in Zones 1, 2 and 4 before expanding progressively to all zones under the civic body's jurisdiction.

Higher Target Than Last Year

This year's campaign builds directly on a similar large-scale drive conducted in the previous year, during which 1,47,545 stray dogs within Corporation limits received anti-rabies vaccines and deworming treatment. The two lakh target for 2025 represents a meaningful step up in ambition and operational scale.

Notably, this year's programme also extends free anti-rabies vaccination to pet dogs and cats — a new addition that broadens the drive's public health reach beyond the stray population. Pet owners have been urged by officials to take advantage of the facility.

Institutional Partnerships Strengthening the Campaign

The campaign is being implemented with active participation from veterinarians and trainees drawn from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS). Their involvement is expected to reinforce the Corporation's own teams and help complete the programme within the stipulated timeframe.

Officials described the initiative as a core component of the Corporation's broader public health strategy, linking widespread vaccination and deworming with increased community awareness to drive down rabies transmission risk across the city.

What the Corporation Is Asking of Residents

The Greater Chennai Corporation has appealed to residents, pet owners, and animal welfare activists to cooperate with veterinary teams on the ground. Officials emphasised that sustained vaccination coverage and active community participation would be critical to controlling rabies and protecting both people and animals across Chennai.

With institutional backing, a higher numerical target, and free services now available for pets, the 2025 campaign marks a significant escalation in the city's long-term effort to eliminate rabies — a disease that remains a serious public health concern across urban India.