PANAJI: As many as 73,180 dog-bite cases have been reported across the state since the last four and half years which includes 36,848 cases from north Goa and 36,332 cases reported in south Goa, reveals the data provided by the Directorate of Health Services.
As per the report, Goa has witnessed a substantial rise in the number of dog-bite cases. A total of 12,857 cases were reported in the year 2013 after which the state witnessed a 44 per cent rise in the dog-bite cases with a total of 18,585 cases being reported in 2016. From January till May 2017, the state has witnessed 9,094 cases of dog bites.
These dog-bite cases were reported in 26 units from north Goa and 25 units from south Goa including government hospitals, health centres, private hospitals and private doctors.
Citing a rise in the population of dogs and with an aim to control rabies in the state, the government has spent over Rs 1 crore through the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services under the Mission Rabies Goa project and the Goa Small Animal Rescue Management Scheme.
As many as 1,57,742 dogs have been vaccinated in the state under the Mission Rabies Goa project from 2013 till April 2017 for which the state government has spent a whopping Rs 57 lakh. Under the Goa Small Animal Rescue Management Scheme, the government has released grants of Rs 54,75,695 to ten different panchayats and one municipality wherein a total of 2,774 dogs have been sterilised by animal welfare organisations in order to control the reproduction of dogs.
“The agency appointed under Mission Rabies Goa project catches the dogs, vaccinates them against the rabies disease and also attends to calls from the public whereas the NGOs which are carrying out the work for sterilization of dogs in panchayat areas catch the dogs, sterilise them to control reproduction and keep them for three days. We also pay them for their vehicle, feeding labour and operation cost,” said Dr Santosh Desai, the director of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services. He said that under the Mission Rabies Goa project, the agency conducts awareness among children on rabies by organising workshops and meetings in schools.
Dr Desai said that the Mission Rabies Goa project has shown good result, as cases of human rabies have decreased substantially in Goa. He said that this mission will be continued as it is a three-year project. He urged the panchayats to come forward to sign Memorandum of Understanding with the animal welfare organizations to carry out sterilization of dogs which will enable them to control the nuisances caused by dogs.
“We are waiting for more applications from panchayats. So far, only ten panchayats have taken benefit of this scheme. All they need is to sign MoU with NGOs to carry out the sterilization work and submit the certificates and we will give those grants,” he said.