Bengaluru: Amid rising dog bite and rabies death cases in Karnataka, the health department officials have flagged a bigger issue—improper immunisation.
“Many victims, especially those with deep or bleeding wounds, do not receive rabies immunoglobulin, which is essential for treatment. Some take vaccines from private clinics where cold chain maintenance is poor, making them ineffective,” Dr Ansar Ahmed, project director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said.
“The lack of awareness about rabies prevention is another challenge. People often ignore cat bites and wild animal bites, not realising they also require rabies immunoglobulin. Many don’t seek treatment, increasing the risk of fatalities. Our focus now is on educating the public so that every animal bite is taken seriously and treated properly,” Ahmed said.
How much is too much?
The last stray dog census conducted by BBMP in 2023 recorded nearly 2.8 lakh stray dogs in the city. However, officials say the numbers are gradually declining due to ongoing sterilisation efforts.
Suralkar Vikas Kishore, special commissioner for health and animal husbandry, BBMP, said: “Over the years, the stray dog population has been decreasing as we intensify our neutering programmes. The more dogs we sterilise, the fewer new litters are born, which helps control the population.”
BBMP’s estimates are based on the most recent census data, but adjustments are made based on the number of stray dogs captured, treated for infections, or neutered. “While we rely on the last census, we also track changes by monitoring the number of infected dogs we catch or sterilise,” he added.
From April 2024 to Feb, BBMP neutered over 34,358 stray dogs and vaccinated 71,824 against rabies. The highest number of stray dogs neutered and vaccinated was in Mahadevapura zone.
A senior official from BBMP said: “We have intensified our drive against rabies deaths, and are actively reporting cases and sterilising stray dogs.”
