On 9th September, over 25 cases of dog bites were reported in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Two of the victims were reportedly in serious condition. On the same day, the administration issued an advisory on what to be done and not done in dog bite cases.
As per reports, a 38-year-old woman named Gita who is a resident of Bhim Nagar Colony in Vijay Nagar, went out for a walk at night. A pack of dogs circled and attacked her. The neighbours heard her screams and rushed to save her. Her husband Sanjay admitted her to MMG hospital where she was administered anti-rabies vaccination.
On Thursday, a student named Rohan was bitten by a pet dog in the presence of the dog’s owner. Allegedly the owner didn’t do anything to protect the boy from his dog’s attack. A complaint has been filed against the owner and police have launched an investigation.
The health department issued an advisory on 9th September in which District Surveillance Officer Dr RK Gupta listed dos and don’ts in case of a dog bite. Copies of the advisory were sent to government departments and MLCs, Village Chief, RWA and NGOs.
India has a serious problem of stray dogs attacking people. Several cases of dog bites have been reported in September month itself. On September 9, CCTV footage surfaced from Amroha where stray dogs were seen attacking a toddler. The small boy can be seen fleeing away from the dog as the canine hurries up to capture and attack the boy.
On September 5, a 5-year-old girl was dragged from her home by the dogs and was brutally attacked. The minor was rescued only after the mother of the girl screamed for help gathering the neighbours. The girl was then shifted to a hospital for treatment but no anti-rabies vaccine was available. The girl was then provided with the vaccine by one of the neighbours who had got the vaccine for himself after he was attacked by a dog.
Further, it was reported on the same day that a 14-year-old boy from Ghaziabad had lost his life one and a half months after he was bitten by a dog. The boy didn’t inform about the dog bite at home and failed to take the anti-rabies vaccine, as a result of which his health deteriorated and he died. The boy was also taken to around 3-4 hospitals for treatment but he could not be saved.
A 70-year-old retired doctor was bitten to death by a pack of dogs while out on a morning walk on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in April of this year. Last year, strays killed a five-year-old girl in Agra, while dogs killed a 12-year-old boy in Bareilly in May.
In the last couple of decades, India has become the world leader in Rabies deaths. OpIndia’s detailed report on Rabies can be checked here.