Berhampur: A suspected rabid stray dog created panic in Odisha’s Ganjam district as it went on a biting spree in Dharakote area on Thursday.
At least 12 persons, including children, were injured in the sudden, aggressive attacks.
According to sources, seven people were injured in Kusaraba, four in Bariguda, and one in Laxmipur, all with lacer
ated wounds. The dog first attacked in Kusaraba before moving to nearby villages after being chased. While an elderly man was bitten on the hand, a youth sustained deep chest wounds. The victims were rushed to Aska hospital and given anti-rabies shots.
Police and vets have traced the dog to prevent further risks.
On August 10, two persons, including para-athlete Jogendra Chhatria, died, 19 days after being bitten by a rabid dog in Chinched village of Balangir district.
According to data shared by Union Minister SP Singh Baghel in the Parliament on July 22, the total number of dog bite cases stood at 37,17,336, while the total ‘suspected human rabies deaths’ were 54 last year.
Last month, the Supreme Court had initiated proceedings suo motu over the growing menace of stray dog attacks and the resulting fatalities, following the tragic death of a six-year-old girl in Delhi due to rabies. It had flagged the situation as “alarming and disturbing”.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying issued an advisory to states asking direct urban local bodies to establish Animal Birth Control units and undertake large-scale sterilisation programmes covering at least 70% of stray dogs.