A labourer’s death following a stray dog bite in the state capital has raised serious public health concerns, highlighting the city's ongoing struggle with rabies prevention and stray animal population control.
Bablu Rana, 32, lived beneath the Singarcholi Bridge in Koh-e-Fiza. According to his wife, he was bitten by a stray dog around a month ago. His health worsened steadily, and he died on Saturday night.
She said he had been behaving unusually in the days before his death. He started making strange noises and eventually began frothing at the mouth. He passed away shortly after the symptoms worsened.
Health officials suspect rabies, a viral disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. India remains one of the worst-affected countries, despite the disease being entirely preventable with timely treatment.
According to the World Health Organisation and the National Centre for Disease Control, rabies kills between 18,000 and 20,000 people in India annually—around 36 percent of the global burden of rabies deaths.
The key causes include delayed or absent vaccination after bites, poor public awareness, inadequate medical infrastructure, and an ever-growing stray dog population in both urban and rural settings.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation claims it is working to make the city rabies-free by 2030. Its teams, along with the veterinary department, conduct annual sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination drives targeting 25,000 strays.
PP Singh, a sterilisation programme officer, said the city is divided into four zones across 85 wards. Dog squads catch strays and keep them under observation for five to seven days before release.
Treatment for sick and injured animals is provided at Ashra, an animal shelter in Jahangirabad. The shelter handles dogs, cows, buffaloes, and other animals that require veterinary attention or isolation.
An action plan to eliminate rabies was submitted to the central government in January this year. A meeting with senior authorities on the plan’s implementation is expected in the coming weeks.
According to the National Health Mission, rabies treatment is available at all major hospitals. Citizens can report incidents to the toll-free number 1962. A mobile veterinary unit is sent to handle such cases.
Studies estimate the stray dog-to-human ratio in urban India is 22 to 1. Between January and March this year, Bhopal recorded 6,728 dog bite cases—a sharp rise from previous years.
In January, a four-year-old died of rabies at Hamidia Hospital. The child was bitten on the face and neck. Despite being administered Rabies Immunoglobulin, he could not be saved.
Just days later, a seven-month-old infant was mauled to death by stray dogs. Following public outrage, the mayor ordered that 30 dogs be sterilised daily at Bhopal’s three ABC sterilisation centres.
Officials warned dog owners to keep pets indoors. Legal action was promised against anyone obstructing sterilisation or vaccination drives in any part of the city.
NHM expert Dr Rufia said 99 percent of rabies cases in India are caused by dog bites. Symptoms in dogs include aggression, hydrophobia, confusion, frothing at the mouth, and eventual paralysis.
Rabies remains a deeply neglected yet deadly disease. While prevention is simple, poor systems and awareness continue to cost lives. Bablu Rana’s death is another tragic reminder of that failure.
