Archana Jyoti
New Delhi
India’s goal of eliminating rabies by 2030 appears increasingly difficult to achieve amid a surge in dog bite cases, which rose from 1.7 million in 2021 to over 3 million in 2023. According to government data, the number of reported dog bites escalated from 1,701,133 in 2021 to 2,180,185 in 2022​ and 3,043,339 in 2023. This troubling increase follows a significant decline in reported cases from 2019 to 2021.
It was only last year, that the Union Health Ministry and the Union Animal and Husbandry Ministry jointly launched the ‘National Action Plan For Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) from India by 2030’​ which mandates the local bodies to control the stray dog population. ​ The main focus of the rules is on anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs and neutering of stray dogs as a means of population stabilization.
However, the implementation seems to be yet to gather pace. A LocalCircles survey across 303 districts in India last year revealed that six in ten Indians find stray and pet dog attacks common, with only one in ten believing municipal corporations effectively manage stray dogs. Only 32 percent think most pet owners train and restrain their dogs. The slow implementation of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023, exacerbates the issue.
The issue of dog bites has gained prominence in Parliament too. Ghaziabad MP Atul Garg recently highlighted alarming figures: 30.5 lakh dog bites and 286 deaths nationwide. "If this figure is correct, then in Ghaziabad alone, 35,000 people have been bitten by dogs in a year. Small kids are becoming victims of this…”, said Garg urging the Government to form a panel to address the imbalance between animal welfare laws and human safety, emphasizing the growing terror among children and families.
Garg said that if a pet dog bit someone, a person could be held responsible but no dog lover came forward to save the person being attacked if it was a stray dog.
"... Children cannot play, an atmosphere of terror has been created within the city. So ​I​ request that a committee be formed and the matter be taken up," he said, adding that there is an imbalance in the laws between love for animals and human freedom, the MP noted.
Dr. Khyatee, a physiotherapist from Ghaziabad who has been actively raising awareness about basic life support in such situations, emphasized that it is crucial to educate people on how to handle such mishaps. “If bitten by a dog, clean the wound with soap and water, apply antiseptic, and seek immediate medical attention for potential rabies treatment. Check the dog's vaccination status and report the bite to authorities if the dog is a stray or its status is unknown. If unvaccinated, get 5 doses on Days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 2,” said Dr Khyatee who was also an ex-senior research officer with AIIMS Delhi.
So much the menace has spread across the States, that in a first-of-its-kind compilation of startling figures, ​the Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) recently took cognizance of the issue as it noted that a total of 1,19,928 dog bite incidents registered across the state in 2023. It has asked the States to collate information on the number of dog bite cases registered in each district of Chhattisgarh, the vaccinations carried out, and if the deaths were reported.
The Centre on its part has asked the state health authorities to provide quality data on the number of animal bites from all primary health centers, community health centers, district-level hospitals, and tertiary care facilities with specific details on bites by pet dogs and stray dogs. Separate records have to be maintained for new and follow-up patients in the animal bite exposure register.
​It also recently introduced the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, replacing the previous Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001.​ During the last 3 financial years, ​a total of Rs.719.73 ​lakhs was released to States as Central share for the purchase of 127.37 Lakhs anti rabies vaccine doses, a senior official from the Ministry said. He said as per information received from states, in the last three years, 101.54 Lakhs ​a​nti-rabies vaccine ​was administered in dogs, 12.85 Lakhs of anti-rabies vaccine was administered in other animals and 24.53 Lakhs of dogs were sterilized.