• Source:JND
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Maharashtra recorded more than 4.35 lakh dog bite cases in 2023, the highest in the country, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The state saw an 11.32 per cent increase in cases compared to 2022, and reported an average of 1,192 incidents every day.

Tamil Nadu ranked second with 4.04 lakh dog bite cases in 2023  followed by Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka which also reported high numbers of dog bite cases, the union ministry data said.

The majority of the cases in Maharashtra were recorded from big cities such as Mumbai, Thane and Pune. The reasons for the increase in dog bite cases included poor implementation of sterilization which led to an unchecked rise in the population of stray dogs. 

Experts also attributed the rise in cases to poor implementation of sterilization, improper care and nourishment of stray dogs, open roadside garbage and lack of awareness among the public and authorities who lacked adequate knowledge. 

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Chief of Pune Municipal Corporation’s veterinary department, Dr Sarika Funde, claimed that the civic body’s various measures including sterilization and vaccination programmes were successful to end the dog menace in Pune city.  

"Dog bite is not mandatory for private hospitals to report, but it is mandatory to report rabies cases. We have not reported any death due to rabies in the past three years. The deaths that have been reported in Naidu Hospital are from outside the city limits," Dr Funde said as quoted by TOI.

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Local authorities can decrease the cases of dog bites to a great extent by animal birth control, proper management of waste and verification of dog bites which could help in reducing the conflict between humans and dogs.

One must seek immediate medical attention and vaccination after a dog bite and should wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water as a first aid measure for safety against diseases like rabies.