Rabies deaths up 80% in TN's rising dogged woes

CHENNAI: There has been an over 80 per cent rise in rabies death cases in Tamil Nadu over the past year. The state also saw a surge in dog bite cases last year with approximately 4.79 lakh cases being reported compared to 4,41,804 cases in 2023.

The 2024 numbers on canine terror are slightly alarming as the state government has been trying hard to take the bite out of the deadly rabies. The state had reported only 22 rabies deaths in 2023 compared to last year’s 40 deaths.

The year 2022 recorded 8,83,213 dog bite cases and 28 rabies deaths, while 2021 saw 8,19,779 dog bite cases and 19 deaths. As many as 7,14,447 dog bite cases and 20 rabies deaths were reported in 2020.

While 25,000 to 30,000 dog bite cases are reported in the city yearly on average, no rabies deaths have been recorded in the city last year.

However, despite the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) initiating a census and mass immunisation of stray dogs, the cases of dog bites and rabies deaths continue to pose a cause of worry to public health. Rabies being usually fatal, passes from animals to humans due to a bite and most commonly, from the dogs.

The surge in rabies deaths has become a challenge for the state health department, with the officials from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine emphasising improved animal birth control and vaccination. “The vaccination coverage, undertaken by the local bodies and the veterinary department, should be intensified. The state health department is the one affected when the rabies cases surge and more people are affected,” said Dr TS Selvavinayagam, the director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

The officials from the state health department point out that the patients are also referred from other districts to Chennai and there needs to be proper data on the dog population for the local civic bodies to carry out control activities.

The latest dog population survey report released by the GCC in September revealed that the number of stray dogs in the city has increased to 1.80 lakh from 58,000 in 2018. The highest number of stray dogs are reported in the Ambattur zone (zone 7) with 23,980, where only 18 per cent of the dogs have been sterilised. The dog population survey also revealed that only 27 per cent of the dogs in Chennai were sterilised.

Though there have been no deaths due to rabies in Chennai, the civic body is working towards managing the dog population by expanding the animal birth control centres.

“We are focusing on two factors — managing the dog population and mass vaccination. The GCC is targeting about 1.8 lakh dogs for vaccination as part of the zone-wise mass campaign. The mass vaccination has been completed in zone 5 and is being planned for other zones with dogs aged over six months being sterilised,” said GCC’s city health officer M Jagadeesan.

 TN'S BITING FACTS

YEAR - DEATHS

2017 - 16

2018 - 31

2019 - 19

2022 - 28

2023 - 22

2024 - 40

GCC to undertake 30,000 sterilisations per year in 5 new ABC centres

According to city health officer M Jagadeesan, the animal birth control (ABC) centres under the Greater Chennai Corporation are being expanded, with new centres being set up in five zones.

At least 30,000 surgeries will be performed annually at the new five centres in the city. To control the number of street dogs in the city, sterilisation is being done in five ABC centres already.

"Greater Chennai Corporation has carried out a dog population census. However, most other districts do not have accurate data on the dog population, which impacts the vaccination campaigns and ABC surgeries. It is the health department that has to attend to the affected," said a senior health official.

The official added that the dog bite cases need to be monitored properly. The cases can be higher than reported because some cases are not notified if not treated in public healthcare facilities.

Public health experts point out that certain misconceptions regarding dog bites become a responsible factor for rabies. "They think bite from puppies or pet dogs won't cause rabies. People believe that if the dog has been vaccinated or if the injury is minor, it won't be dangerous and many people ignore the need for a vaccination in such cases. However, even a small injury in the arms, chest, face and neck need to be attended to on an emergency basis because they are close to the brain. It takes seven days for the antibodies to form after vaccination and the delay in vaccination can prove fatal since the wild virus will produce the disease in about 10 days," said former Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr K Kolandaisamy.

Doctors also emphasize the need to wash the wound in running water with an antiseptic and soap immediately after the injury is incurred. The delay in washing the wound and taking the vaccine is a major neglect that needs to be avoided.

World Health Organisation categorises dog bites into three categories. As per this criteria, category one cases do not require a vaccine if the skin is intact, and the vaccine is mandatory in categories two and three, as per the World Health Organisation. Category three cases also require immunoglobulin along with the vaccine.

However, the state health department has trained the staff to ensure vaccination in all cases.

"In the private sector, the category one cases are ignored if the skin seems intact but it is not possible for one to accurately determine if the skin is intact upon physical examination. So category one should also be treated as category two. In the case of the third category dog bites, sometimes administration of immunoglobulin is ignored. Since immunoglobulin costs about Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000 in the private sector, it is given a miss. The availability of immunoglobulin should be ensured in all the healthcare facilities," added Dr Kolandaisamy.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine had instructed the District Health Officers and City Health officers to ensure the availability of the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) around the clock at all the Primary Health Centres to prevent deaths due to rabies.

The state health department is ensuring the availability of ARV in all the Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres around the clock. At least 20 vials of ARV stock are maintained at any point of time and ARV is administered to all the dog bite cases.