Hyderabad: IPM records over 5,400 dog bite cases in two months

The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) in Narayanaguda is continuously receiving dog bite cases from Hyderabad and surrounding districts.

Hyderabad: Summer months usually witness an uptick in stray dog bite incidents as soaring temperatures lead to aggression among the canines. However, this year’s pattern defies this with dog bite incidents continuing to surge in Hyderabad and surrounding districts even though the temperatures have come down.

The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) in Narayanaguda is continuously receiving dog bite cases from Hyderabad and surrounding districts. Patients from different areas turn up from early in the day for the treatment and queues continue till late in the evening.

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In the last two months, the IPM registered 5,450 cases with 2,800 in June and 2,650 in July. These figures mark a significant uptick in cases compared to the same months in the last years.

“The institute is recording about 200 to 250 cases of dog bite on a daily basis from the GHMC limits. People from all-age groups are falling prey to the dog bite,” IPM Director Dr. C Shivaleela told ‘Telangana Today’

Just about 2 kms away from the IPM, the Government Fever Hospital in Nallakunta is also visited by victims of dog bites. Not just from the GHMC limits, the victims from Hyderabad surrounding districts are consulting the hospital for anti-rabies vaccination.

Most incidents involve stray dogs, though a smaller number of bites come from pet dogs. “We are seeing 60 to 70 dog bite cases daily,” said Dr. Jayalakshmi, Resident Medical Officer, Government Fever Hospital.

The incidents of stray dog attacks are on the rise despite the civic authorities ramping up the animal birth control programme. According to reports, the city reports about 30,000 dog bite cases in a year, while 3 lakh such cases were reported in the past decade.

“When the dog bites, the wound should be immediately washed under running water with detergent. On reaching the IPM, TT injection is given and anti-rabies shot will be administered. The shot should be taken again as per the schedule given by the institute,” Dr. Shivaleela said.

Asked for reasons behind such attacks even when the temperatures dropped, doctors said some canines retaliate when they are being shooed away or attacked by people.

The IPM and Fever Hospital authorities have assured the public that they have adequate supplies of medicines and anti-rabies vaccines to address the soaring dog bite cases.