India accounts for approximately 20,000 human rabies deaths annually, a third of the global total, primarily caused by dog bites. The disease, endemic in India, disproportionately affects the impoverished. Without timely post-exposure vaccination, rabies is invariably fatal, leading to a painful death. Symptoms include paralysis and cardio-respiratory failure, with the virus attacking the nervous system. Hospitals like Bengaluru's Epidemic Diseases Hospital see numerous such cases, highlighting the severe public health challenge.