Stray dog that killed 29 people in North Chennai confirmed to be affected by rabies

CHENNAI: A stray dog, which killed 29 people in North Chennai’s Old Washermanpet on Tuesday, tested positive for rabies on Friday. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has intensified its drive to catch stray dogs in the city and is currently keeping an eye on 31 dogs caught in Old Washermanpet and Royapuram in the last two days.

“The post-mortem report of the carcass from the Madras Veterinary College Hospital revealed that rabies was confirmed in the stray dog. Stray dogs in the area are being monitored and if they have symptoms of rabies, action will be taken accordingly. Additionally, we are monitoring 29 people who were bitten by a rabies-infected dog and urged them to take the second dose of anti-rabies vaccination,” GCC veterinary officer Dr J Kamal Hussain told DT Next. told.

According to Chennai Corporation data, more than 17,000 stray dogs were sterilized and vaccinated against rabies from January 1 to November 23 this year. The civic body has 16 vehicles and adequate manpower to catch stray dogs across the city. Civic officials urged the public to adopt stray dogs with proper maintenance instead of just feeding the animals.

Experts have advised people to get anti-rabies vaccination within 12 hours of a dog bite to avoid the virus entering the body. If the person fails to get vaccinated he will die within a month.

“Dogs infected with rabies will be active and running around. Sometimes they may also move to other areas and contract rabies when they fight with other stray dogs. This is a fatal disease in dogs. The civic body should isolate a stray dog infected with rabies for 10 days so that it does not spread to other dogs in the area,” said veterinarian Dr R Sokkalingam.