Australia has issued an advisory warning that counterfeit batches of a rabies vaccine have been circulating in India since November 1, 2023.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation issued the alert about counterfeit batches of the vaccine Abhayrab on December 22. It stated that while the vaccine is not available in Australia, those who received it while in India may still be affected.
Abhayrub is manufactured by the Human Biologicals Institute, a division of Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Limited.
Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that affects the central nervous system. Infected dogs are responsible for transmitting the virus in the vast majority of rabies cases among humans.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease is fatal in 100% cases once it infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms appear.
“People who have received the counterfeit vaccine may not be fully protected against rabies and are recommended to receive replacement doses with a rabies vaccine registered in Australia,” said the Australian advisory body.
As it would be difficult to confirm whether an individual received a genuine or fake vaccine, anyone who received a dose of Abhayrab in India from November 1, 2023, onwards should be considered to have potentially been administered the counterfeit vaccine, it added.
The advisory body said that such persons should be offered replacement doses…
Source: Counterfeit batches of rabies vaccine circulating in India, warns Australia
