The city is grappling with the canine menace with nearly 300 dog bite cases being reported from government hospitals only every month, apart from another 1,500 cases reported from private hospitals.
Stray dog bites has been rampant as around 20,000 dog bite cases were reported from the district last year and in 50 per cent of the cases, the victims were minors. The anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) centres in Urban Referral Unit and PHCs in the rural areas on an average receive 35 such cases every day.
“There has been a sudden rise in dog-bite cases in the last few months. Most patients are beaten on their legs, calf muscles and thighs,” said Dr. Padmasri of Government Hospital, Rajahmundry.
In March, Rajahmundry and Kakinada General Hospitals received 1,213 dog bite cases, while it was 1,236 and 1,368 in February and January respectively. Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry (MCR) records show that the Corporation had signed an MoU with Jeeva Raksha Animal Welfare Society and vaccinated 13,000 stray dogs and 12,000 pet dogs. Municipal Health Officer Satyanand said the NGO had performed animal birth control procedures on 5000 dogs .
“The animal rights activists had filed cases in courts and this has led to the personnel to stop the measures undertaken to keep a check on dog menace,” he said.