Most dog bite cases are reported from outside Visakhapatnam, says GVMC Chief Veterinary Officer

Dog bite cases are increasing in Visakhapatnam district. However, fewer rabid cases are being reported, say officials
| Photo Credit: File photo: V RAJU

Dog bite cases are increasing in Visakhapatnam district as per the statistical data of the government authorities. According to the officials, a total of 21,462 dog bite cases were reported in the district till recently in 2024, 28,028 (2023), 24,387 (2022) and 18,324 in 2021. However, among them fewer than 200 rabid cases were reported each year.

World Rabies Day was observed on Saturday, September 28, with the theme Breaking the Boundaries of Rabies, to honour Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist who developed the first rabies vaccine, and to raise awareness about rabies prevention.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Chief Veterinary Officer N. Kishore said that most dog bite cases are reported from outside the city. Some of the reasons for dog bites are lack of food to the animals, and also a kind of phobia they feel when they see humans walking around them. He admitted that lack of street lights in some areas is also a reason for their wandering. Generally, if a dog is affected by humans in any way, such as bumping into vehicles or disturbing the animal while pregnant or rearing, it will become disturbed and develop the phobia of humans. In such situations, it chases the people and their vehicles, he said.

On rabies control measures, the corporation is increasing infrastructure measures like increasing the existing number of shelters in each zone from three to eight and the number of birth control operations from 20 to 80 per day.

Emergency response team

“We are planning ward-wise dog control measures with the support of animal welfare activists and the Animal Husbandry Department. We want to set up an emergency response team in each ward. It will be implemented soon,” Dr. Kishore said.

Dr. Kishore advised people not to provoke dogs unnecessarily. In case of dog bite, victims can approach the nearest urban health centre for further guidance as the government provides free vaccines.

“People should not be afraid of dogs, but they should take care of them properly. At the same time, the GVMC is also making every effort to control their menace,” he said.