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Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Dog bite cases surge in Punjab, 1.5 lakh cases reported in first 6 months
With an average of around 840 dog bite cases reported daily, Punjab has witnessed a sharp increase in incidents this year. In the first six months of 2025, the state has recorded over 1.5 lakh dog bite cases, with Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala being as the worst-affected districts, accounting for nearly 36% or 53,432 cases. With an average of around 840 dog bite cases reported daily, Punjab has witnessed a sharp increase in incidents this year. In the first six months of 2025, the state has recorded over 1.5 lakh dog bite cases, with Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala being as the worst-affected districts, accounting for nearly 36% or 53,432 cases. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image) Last year, the state reported a total of 2.13 lakh dog bite cases. The data, accessed by HT, has revealed a steady jump in cases over the past few years. From 1.10 lakh cases reported in 2020, the number of dog bite cases has gone up to 2.13 lakh in 2024, a rise of more than 1 lakh in four years. Three deaths have been reported this year. Last month, a mother-daughter duo died of rabies in Pathankot, and on July 17, a 32-year-old man succumbed in Patiala after being bitten by a stray dog. Dr Sumeet Singh, district nodal officer of the National Rabies Control Programme, said that rabies is 100% fatal. 'Of the total cases of dog bites, nearly 70% of the cases were from stray dogs. People should immediately rush to the nearest government health centres for treatment, which is free. People should not be ignorant at all. Punjab government has now extended treatment of dog bite cases to all the Aam Aadmi Clinics across the state,' he said. Failure of sterilisation programmes The senior officials from the local bodies department admitted that the animal birth control (ABC) programme has failed to deliver the desired results across Punjab, particularly in major cities. 'Most of the municipal corporations in Punjab have outsourced the sterilisation of dogs to private agencies, but this has not yielded effective outcomes. Sterilisation remains the only scientifically proven method to control the stray dog population and, in turn, reduce dog bite incidents,' said a senior official, who didn't wish to be named. An expert epidemiologist said that of the total dog bite cases, more than 50% of patients had grade-3 wounds, who needed immunoglobulin to be administered before the dog bite vaccine, said the epidemiologist. A grade-3 dog bite is a single or multiple transdermal bite with contamination of the mucous membrane with saliva. 'The grade-3 bite requires anti-rabies serum (ARS) before the anti-rabies vaccine, to make the dose effective. Without ARS, the vaccine is of no use as the victim may die within a few days,' the expert said. Patiala municipal corporation commissioner Paramvir Singh said after seeing a rise in the cases, they have stopped outsourcing the sterilisation programme. 'Instead of giving a contract for the sterilisation of stray dogs to a third party, we have decided to carry it out ourselves. We have got three veterinary surgeons with us, and we will sterilise 50 dogs per day in the coming weeks,' he said. Dr Sandeep Jain, co-opted member, Animal Welfare Board of India, said a lack of follow-up and accountability in sterilisation efforts has seen a sharp rise in the dog population. 'In rural areas, panchayats are not involved in the ABC programme. There is no accountability in rural and semi-urban areas. In rural areas, stray dogs get used to eating animal flesh because of designated places for the disposal of dead animals. If these strays don't get animal flesh, they start biting people. If the government sterilises 70% of the stray dog population in a year, then dog bite cases will start to decline,' he said. No SOP for dog bite compensation The Punjab health department is yet to issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the government doctors on whose diagnosis the compensation for dog bite cases would be fixed. The department had constituted a five-member committee to formulate SOPs following the order of the Punjab and Haryana high court, last year, announcing the compensation of ₹10,000 for each tooth mark and that of ₹20,000 for every 0.2 cm of wound where the flesh is torn off. One of the five committee members, pleading anonymity, told HT that they had already formulated the SOP, but the department did not issue it to the doctors. Dr Arshdeep Kaur, state nodal officer, did not respond to repeated calls and text messages.
Hindustan Times
09-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Punjab's Covid count touches 35, Ludhiana worst affected
Punjab's Covid cases have jumped to 35, from 12, in the last seven days, with Ludhiana being the worst hit, as per data from the health department. Of these, nine cases have surfaced in the last 24 hours, health officials said. Poll-bound Ludhiana has reported 23 cases, the highest in the state. The district has also logged two deaths – a 69-year-old woman who died at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research last week and a 39-year-old man who had died at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, the week before that. The remaining cases are in Jalandhar (6), Mohali (4) and Ferozepur (2). Experts said the surge in political activities ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll, scheduled for June 19, seems to have increased the spread of the virus in the district. A senior health official, pleading anonymity, said, 'All cases reported so far had only mild symptoms so there is no need for people to panic. The two people who died of Covid-19 suffered from comorbidities. We are closely monitoring the situation.' The official further said they will be releasing a health advisory on Covid-19 in the next 24 hours. 'We will be soon advising the elderly and immunocompromised to take precautions for Covid. There will be no directions against mass gatherings as the new Covid variants are very mild,' said the officials. District epidemiologist Dr Sumeet Singh said cancer patients on chemotherapy, HIV positive patients, renal patients on dialysis and cardiac patients should start taking precautions such as wearing face masks and sanitising their hands. He also advised immunocompromised persons to avoid non-essential travel to crowded places.
Hindustan Times
01-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Punjab to ramp up Covid testing across districts
Amid a fresh uptick in COVID-19 infections, health authorities in Punjab plan to ramp up testing across districts, following the detection of six new cases and one death over the past week. According to health officials, five cases were reported from Ludhiana and one from Mohali. Additionally, two more cases — one each from Mohali and Ferozepur — were not included in the state tally as the patients were residents of Haryana. A 39-year-old labourer from Ludhiana died of COVID-19 complications on Wednesday at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. The patient, who had pre-existing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and liver disease, was referred from ESIC Model Hospital in Ludhiana. Preventive measures in place Following the recent cases, health departments in several districts have heightened surveillance. In Patiala, authorities have ordered mandatory COVID testing for ICU patients with respiratory symptoms to curb in-hospital transmission. Hospitals have also been instructed to allocate dedicated beds for COVID patients. Experts predict rise in cases Health experts warn that Punjab could see a further rise in infections in the coming weeks, typically following trends in the National Capital Region. 'Based on past trends, Punjab usually experiences a COVID surge 2–3 weeks after Delhi, due to daily travel between the two regions,' said Dr Sumeet Singh, epidemiologist with the Punjab health department. He added that distinguishing COVID-19 from seasonal flu can be challenging due to overlapping symptoms. 'Sore throat, hoarseness, throat irritation, and dry cough are more commonly associated with COVID, whereas sneezing, nasal congestion, and a runny nose typically point to allergies or the common cold,' he explained. Dr Rajesh Bhasker, Punjab's state nodal officer for the COVID programme, echoed similar concerns, saying that daily case numbers could rise steadily in the near future. 'Delhi is currently reporting 18–20 new cases daily, so it's likely that Punjab may start reporting 7–8 cases per day in the coming weeks,' Dr Bhasker said. Public advisory Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant, practice COVID-appropriate behaviour, and get tested in case of persistent flu-like symptoms. Hospitals have been directed to strengthen infection control protocols to minimize the risk of in-hospital transmission.
