Hyderabad: Stating that around 30,000 dog bite cases were reported in the city in 2023, and 12 persons died due to rabies, Dr K. Shankar, superintendent of the Government Fever Hospital has advised people to go in for immediate treatment if bitten by dogs.
He told Deccan Chronicle that 24,219 cases were reported in the Government Fever Hospital, the fully equipped hospital which treats dog bite cases 24x7. The other cases were reported at different hospitals.
“Among the 12 deaths, one person died after he was bitten by a cat that was infected with rabies. An NRI, who ignored a dog bite for two months assuming it to be a minor one, also succumbed to rabies,” said Dr Shankar.
On an average around 50 to 100 dog bite cases are reported in the city every day and the number almost doubles in summer.
Although dog bite cases are reported frequently, the city does not have a mechanism to test whether the dog is affected by rabies or not. Earlier the dogs could be tested for rabies at the Veterinary Biological & Research Institute (VBRI), which has since become non-functional.
