World Rabies Day: Number of dog bites in Karnataka this year exceeds 2023 figure

Dog bites are on the rise in Karnataka with the number of cases this year so far have already crossed last year’s total. While 2,73,037 cases have been reported this year till date, as many as 2,32,754 were reported in the whole of 2023. 

Dog bites are on the rise in Karnataka with the number of cases this year so far have already crossed last year’s total. While 2,73,037 cases have been reported this year till date, as many as 2,32,754 were reported in the whole of 2023. 

In fact, the rise has been the highest this year the post-pandemic. In 2022, as many as 1,63,366 dog bite cases were reported. While the State has recorded three rabies (dog bite) deaths this year so far, four deaths were recorded in the whole of 2023 and three in 2022.

According to data from the State Health Department’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), over 55,000 dog bite cases have been reported since August. In September alone (till September 27), over 25,000 dog bite cases have been reported. Officials said an average of 28,000 cases are being reported in the State every month of which a majority are from Bengaluru Urban and BBMP areas (23,798) followed by Vijayapura (17,514), Mysuru (15,866), Belagavi (14,195), Mandya (13,992) and Shivamogga (13,875). 

The least number of cases have been reported in Yadgir (1,326), Kalaburagi (2,134) Chamarajanagar (2,484), Raichur (2,911) and Dharwad (3,230). September 28 is observed as World Rabies Day and the theme for this year is ‘Breaking rabies boundaries’.

In 2022, Karnataka declared human rabies — a fatal viral disease that spreads through the bite of rabid animals (mainly dogs) — a notifiable disease under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020.

Following this, it became mandatory for all government and private health facilities (including medical colleges) to report all suspected, probable, and confirmed human rabies cases to the State Health Department. 

State IDSP Project Director Ansar Ahmed told The Hindu that the elimination of dog-bite mediatedrabies by2030 is the State’s mission under the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP). “Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) have been made a part of the annual indent supply by Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL), and sufficient stock is being maintained in all government hospitals up to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) level,” he said.