Sees 62% cases of dog bites, 32% cat bites
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Apr 26: District Srinagar has logged the highest number of bite cases in the last year, reported to the Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) operational at SMHS Hospital here.
According to the data, the district has reported 6519 cases of bites inflicted by stray dogs, rabid animals, and other wild creatures, with the bites inflicted by the latter largely reported from other districts.
Overall, including districts such as Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, and Anantnag, a total of 8652 bite cases have been reported to the ARC at SMHS.
In March alone of this year, Srinagar reported 912 such cases, the highest since April of the previous year. Additionally, 542 cases were reported in February, 493 in January, and 480 in December to the clinic.
Regarding all districts of Kashmir, March of this year has seen the highest number of bite cases reported to ARC at SMHS, with 1107 cases. February had 668 cases, January had 650, and December had 642.
Further breakdown of the official details provided reveals that out of the total 8652 bite cases, the highest number were inflicted by dogs, followed by cat bites.
Specifically, 5386 cases, accounting for over 62 percent, were from dog bites, while 2824 cases, accounting for over 32 percent, were from cat bites.
Other animals contributed to the remaining cases, with 27 from monkeys, 95 from cows, 14 from bears, and 12 from wild boars. The rest, totaling 294 cases, were from various other animals.
Throughout the year, besides Srinagar, 302 cases from Budgam, 242 from Baramulla, 186 from Kupwara, 251 from Bandipora, 152 from Ganderbal, 228 from Pulwama, 46 from Shopian, 40 from Kulgam, and 72 from Anantnag were reported at ARC, SMHS. The remaining 614 cases were categorized as ‘others’ by the authorities.
It is to be noted here that the stray dog menace has remained a pressing issue, especially in Srinagar city, where dog bites-as evident from the numbers-are reported frequently. At the same time, the authorities have failed to do much to curb the menace, majorly affecting children, apart from adults.
From the treatment point of view, the Department of Community Medicine, GMC Srinagar, which is operating the ARC, is ensuring that such patients reported to them get the necessary treatment well in time, which, apart from other prerequisites, also includes the administration of anti-rabies vaccine.
On the other hand, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), tasked with addressing the issues of stray dog menace, has also been able to do little in this regard as the population of stray dogs can be seen increasing in selected pockets of the city.
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