Hyderabad, June 07: Dog, it is said, is man’s best friend. But in the case of Hyderabad and several other districts of Andhra Pradesh, the canines are turning out to be the worst enemies if one were to go by the alarming number of stray dog attacks and consequent death due to rabies.
In the past one month alone, at least 18 persons, including some children, have died due to rabies in the state, which reportedly has a stray population of 20 lakh including three lakh in the capital alone.
That the situation is indeed grim and may be going out of control can be gauged from the fact that in one month alone, there were about 18 rabies deaths reported in the state against the annual average ranging between 30 and 50 deaths. East Godavari district alone has reported nine deaths due to rabies so far. Also, the number of stray attacks in the state during the last week of May was at an alarming level of 13,000.
Hordes of stray dogs roam the streets in towns and villages across the state and health and municipal authorities appear clueless as to how to tackle the menace. The media, both print and television, have been highlighting the problem including lack of anti-rabies vaccine in several cities and towns, but the administration appears to be in a slumber on this issue. Such is the fear of dog attacks that terrified people in several towns are scared to step out of their houses.
Particularly disturbing was the case of 50-year-old K Subba Rao, 50, a native of Undrajavaram village in West Godavari district who had been bitten by a stray dog around three months ago. He had reportedly taken treatment from a quack at that time and had seemingly recovered. However, he developed symptoms of rabies last week and was rushed to the Kakinada Government General Hospital where he died a horrific death. Rao even bit his wife’s hand while she was attending on him.
The alarming situation has prompted the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), which normally does not take up such issues, to demand of the state government to publish a white paper on dog bites cases in the state, the number of rabies deaths, the funds being spent for eradication of rabies and the role of NGOs in controlling rabies and dog bites.
PUCL president Jaya Vindhyala, at a recent round-table conference in the city, alleged that the government had completely failed to check the stray dog menace in the state. “Every month, over 35,000 dog bite cases are taking place, some resulting in death of people. But the government is least bothered,” she said, alleging that the NGOs too were guilty of misusing government funds in the name of stray sterilisation programme but doing little to control the stray dog population in the state.
-Agencies