37 lakh dog bites in a year: Karti Chidambaram raises alarm about dangerous surge, says we can't ignore this any more
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Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday voiced serious concern about the escalating threat posed by stray dogs across India, following alarming data shared by the Centre in Parliament. According to a written reply by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel, over 37.17 lakh dog bite cases were reported across the country in 2024, along with 54 suspected human rabies deaths.Highlighting the issue on X (formerly Twitter), Chidambaram, the Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga constituency, said, 'We can't ignore this any more! #Streetdogs.'The data, collected by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the National Rabies Control Program, reveals a concerning trend in public health. The minister added that financial assistance is being provided to states and union territories under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme for procuring anti-rabies vaccines, which includes doses for stray animals.Despite rabies being completely preventable with prompt and full post-exposure prophylaxis, India continues to account for 36% of global rabies deaths, amounting to an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 fatalities annually, with children under the age of 15 being the most vulnerable. The Centre has set an ambitious target to eliminate rabies by 2030.States like Karnataka and Kerala have witnessed significant spikes in dog bite cases. Karnataka alone reported over 2.3 lakh incidents and 19 rabies deaths in the past six months, while the total number of cases for the year 2024 stands at 3.6 lakh dog bites and 42 deaths.Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has unveiled a Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed approximately 4,000 stray dogs. The civic body stated that feeding helps in easier capture of dogs for sterilisation and vaccination, enhancing the success of animal birth control and anti-rabies campaigns.Kerala is also taking aggressive steps to address the crisis. The state government plans to launch mobile sterilisation units across 152 blocks and has approved euthanasia of severely ill stray animals, as announced by Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh.Tragically, four children in Kerala have succumbed to dog bites since April this year despite receiving the anti-rabies vaccine , underscoring the gravity of the situation. The minister informed that 158 trained personnel from the Animal Husbandry Department have been deployed for catching stray dogs.Additionally, the Kerala Health and Education Departments are set to launch a statewide awareness campaign in government and aided schools starting June 30, aiming to educate children and communities about rabies prevention and safety around stray animals.As dog bite cases surge and rabies continues to pose a deadly threat, calls for immediate and coordinated action across states have grown louder, with lawmakers and citizens urging effective policy, awareness, and infrastructure to tackle the stray dog menace.
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