Kochi: In a shocking statistics reported by the District Medical Office (DMO), it has been revealed that on an average over 450 dog bite cases are reported from Ernakulam district every month which points to the fact that effective measures are lacking to curb the stray dog menace.
The DMO report is collated from the cases of dog bites reported from both private and public hospitals in the district where those bitten approach for rabies preventive vaccination and also treatment.
The statistics show that stray dogs continue to be a major threat for common man and pedestrians alike and the DMO officials say that the incidents are reported from all regions in the district.
“We don’t have specific statistics in this regard. The reports are mainly based on the number of people who sought Intrdermal Rabies Vaccination (IDRV) to prevent contracting rabies after dog bites. The statistics regarding stray dog bites would be with local bodies,” said Dist-rict Surveillance Officer Dr Sreedevi.
As per the available statistics most number of dog bites of 587 was reported in May followed by 571 in January and 564 last month. The other months and number of dog bites are February (481), March (559), April (517), June (459), July (453), August (471) and September (538). This month so far, 389 dog bite cases have been reported from the hospitals. The total count in the district in this regard so far is put at 5589 numbers.
Meanwhile the H1N1 cases in the district has shown the highest number this month at 14, up from five cases from last month’s overall 9, making it a scary situation. There are charges that the District Medical Officer Dr N.K. Kuttappan has not risen to the occasion to deal effectively with the situation.
