Hyderabad: Four-legged friends get the shots

A renowned French biologist who administered the inaugural rabies vaccine on the same day in 1885.

Hyderabad: Observing World Zoonoses Day on Thursday, pet parents queued up at the Government Super Specialty Veterinary Hospital in Narayanguda to get their furry friends vaccinated.

Celebrated every year on July 6, it commemorates the development of the first vaccination against zoonotic diseases. It also honors Louis Pasteur, a renowned French biologist who administered the inaugural rabies vaccine on the same day in 1885.

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Dr. Praveen Kumar from the Narayanguda veterinary hospital explains that zoonotic diseases are infections that are transmitted between humans and animals. “World Zoonoses Day is mainly celebrated to create awareness on various zoonotic diseases. The most popular and perhaps the most dangerous one is rabies. Many pet owners get their pets vaccinated on this day,” he adds.

On Thursday, Dr. Praveen and his team vaccinated around 600 animals at their hospital. While most of them were dogs, some cat parents also actively participated in the vaccination drive.

Blue Cross Hyderabad also administered vaccinations at Veterinary Health Sub-Centre in collaboration with the Animal Husbandry Department and Gundlapochampally Municipal Council. Both pets and stray dogs were given the shots here.

Talking about why these vaccinations are important especially for dogs, Dr. Praveen says “Zoonotic diseases are transmitted by saliva. Now a sheep or a cow would not bite or lick us. But dogs do. And pet dogs eat, play and sleep with us. So a family that has a pet dog is more at risk of contracting these diseases.”