Bengaluru, 20 July

In the past six months, State has recorded more than 2.3 lakh dog bite cases and 19 rabies deaths, indicating a sharp increase of 36 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, according to official data released on Sunday.

According State Health Department’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) data, Karnataka registered 2,31,091 dog bite cases and 19 rabies deaths between 1 January and 30 June this year.

In comparison, the same period last year saw 1,69,672 dog bite cases and 18 rabies deaths.

An analysis of the data shows that dog bite cases have increased by approximately 36.20 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2023.

The recent surge in concern was fuelled by a viral video showing a three-year-old girl being attacked and dragged by two stray dogs on the streets of Hubballi, this week.

Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, said the situation is not out of control.

"The number of cases appears high now because they are being reported more accurately. Even earlier, similar incidents were occurring, but now there is better reporting," he said.

Outlining the department's efforts to curb such incidents, Gupta added, "We are focusing on creating awareness, training doctors on how to treat dog bite victims, ensuring the availability of medicines in sufficient quantities, and instructing urban local bodies and rural administrations to manage the stray dog population."

He emphasised that even minor scratches or small bites require immediate medical attention, as they can also lead to infections.

Health officials pointed out that the reporting of dog bite cases and rabies deaths has been the highest since 2022, when State declared human rabies a notifiable disease under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020.

Since then, all government and private health facilities are mandated to report all suspected, probable, and confirmed human rabies cases to the State Health Department.