Rising stray dog bite cases worry Nawada people, sterilisation centre to start soon

Gaya: The rising incidence of stray dog bites has caused concern among the civil society of Nawada with demands gaining momentum for effective measures to curb such cases and prevent rabies-related deaths in the district. Official figures on annual dog bite cases have not been updated for the past few years and, according to the last available authentic data, the district recorded 6,234 dog bite cases in 2022-23. The situation had drawn particular attention after mass dog bite incidents were reported during a religious congregation in the district, in which at least 24 people were bitten by stray dogs on Feb 5, 2023.To address the issue seriously, a centre for the sterilisation of stray dogs has been established at Budhaul village. As per official figures, six dog squads have been constituted to pick up stray dogs, transport them to the centre, carry out the sterilisation procedure, and then release the dogs back at the locations from where they were collected.The sterilisation centre is expected to become operational soon, a development that is likely to bring relief to vulnerable groups, particularly those living in hutments. On Monday, Nawada DM Ravi Prakash personally inspected the sterilisation centre and directed officials to make it functional at the earliest. The district magistrate also instructed officials to strictly follow the sterilisation protocol, including the mandatory observation period, and to ensure that all follow-up measures are taken.Nawada civil surgeon Binod Kumar Chaudhary said he was not in a position to immediately provide statistics on dog bite incidents, the availability of anti-rabies vaccines, or other related data.Jan Suraaj’s Syed Masihuddin said sterilisation alone would not serve the purpose and stressed that the availability of anti-rabies vaccines at the primary health centre (PHC) level should be ensured. He added that animal rights activists should also be taken on board to make the initiative successful.Municipal authorities should ensure that eatables, particularly leftover non-vegetarian food, are not thrown indiscriminately, he said.It was also pointed out that in many cases, dog bite victims approach faith healers, a practice considered harmful to public health. A sustained drive is required to create awareness about dog bites, including preventive and curative measures, and to educate people about the ill effects of non-institutional remedies, particularly faith healing.