Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday expressed concerns over the growing health and safety concerns posed by stray dogs in the country as the Centre informed Parliament that over 37 lakh cases of dog bites were reported last year.
"We can't ignore this any more! #Streetdogs," the Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga constituency said in a post on X.
In a written reply in the Lower House, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel said the total dog bite cases in 2024 stood at 37,17,336 while the total 'suspected human rabies deaths' were 54.
The minister said the data is collected from states/Union Territories under the National Rabies Control Program by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
"The Department provides financial support under the Assistance to State for Control of Animal Diseases component of the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme for procurement of anti-rabies vaccines for animals, including stray dogs," the written reply said.
Rabies remains a significant public health challenge in India, accounting for 36% of global rabies deaths and causing an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 fatalities annually, with a disproportionate impact on children under 15. Despite these alarming statistics, rabies deaths are entirely preventable with prompt and complete post-exposure prophylaxis.
The Centre is aiming to eliminate rabies by 2030.
In the past six months, Karnataka has recorded more than 2.3 lakh dog bite cases and 19 rabies deaths, indicating a sharp increase compared to the corresponding period last year, according to official data released on Sunday. In all of 2024, the state reported 3.6 lakh dog bite cases and 42 rabies deaths.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - Bengaluru's civic body - shared details of its Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed about 4,000 street dogs in the city and said it has invited a tender in this regard after reviewing the pros and cons of the initiative. Feeding makes it easier to catch the dogs for sterilisation and vaccination. This, in turn, boosts the effectiveness of animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns, the civic body said.
Kerala is planning to launch a crackdown on stray dogs by rolling out mobile sterilisation units in 152 blocks and permitting the euthanasia of seriously ill animals, Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh said last week.
Since April this year, four children from various parts of the state have died after being bitten by stray dogs, despite receiving the anti-rabies vaccine.
According to Mr Rajesh, 158 trained personnel from the Animal Husbandry Department are currently available for catching stray dogs.
The Kerala Health and Education departments are together planning to organise an awareness programme against rabies in government and aided schools in the state from June 30.
