Chennai: Somasundaram, Director of the Public Health and Disease Prevention Department, stated that 43 people died from dog bites last year, while 28 have died so far this year.
In Tamil Nadu, 319,432 people were bitten by dogs in 2021. Of these, 19 died from rabies. This number further increased to 364,435 in 2022, with 28 of these deaths due to rabies. In 2023, 441,804 people were bitten by dogs, of which 18 died from rabies.
According to this, in 2024 alone, 480,483 people were bitten by dogs and 43 died from rabies. In this context, it has been reported that the number of dog bites will increase further in 2025, with 28 deaths occurring. According to information provided to ETV Bharat Tamil Nadu by Somasundaram, Director of Public Health and Disease Prevention, “So far this year, 5.25 lakh people have been bitten by dogs in Tamil Nadu.
He stated that 28 of these deaths were due to rabies. Not everyone gets rabies from a dog bite. However, a bite from a dog infected with this virus can spread rabies. Required rabies vaccines are available at government medical college hospitals and primary health centers.
Explaining the treatment for dog bites, he said, “People bitten by stray dogs should receive the rabies vaccine in four installments. Vaccination is mandatory on the first, third, seventh, and 28th day of the bite. If the bite has caused a deep wound, an immunoglobulin injection is also administered at the bite site.”
Many people bitten by stray dogs have been vaccinated against rabies and have survived. Furthermore, essential dog bite medications are always available in all government general hospitals, district hospitals, and city hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Some people believe that pet bites are harmless and avoid vaccination, which can put them at risk.
So, instead of being careless and assuming it was a pet dog, not a stray dog, one should immediately go to the hospital and get vaccinated. In areas of Tamil Nadu where stray dogs are a problem, municipal administration staff are capturing and sterilizing them.
Somasundaram said that the Animal Husbandry Department periodically catches stray dogs and vaccinates them. If they come to the hospital due to dog bites, timely treatment is provided. Those affected by rabies receive the necessary treatment in the hospital. Most importantly, to prevent rabies, everyone should receive the four-dose vaccine as recommended by a doctor.
