On 21st July, a stray dog chased and bit at least three students on the campus of Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College in Madurai. The students were rushed to Government Rajaji Hospital where they received anti-rabies vaccine (ARV). Officials will monitor the students to ensure they get the remaining doses of the vaccine.
The corporation official blamed the students for angering the dog. When the dog was caught, it was lactating. The corporation official claimed that the students might have angered the dog by playing with the puppies.
Reportedly, till June this year, at least 1,900 patients have received treatment for animal-related incidents at the urban primary health centres in the city. There are around 38,000 stray dogs in the city, leading to the chaos. The corporation has reportedly begun a 70-day anti-rabies camp to vaccinate dogs in view of increased animal attack cases. Around 5,000 doses of vaccine are expected to be administered to dogs in the first phase of the camp.
