BBMP launches awareness campaign on stray dogs, rabies

Bengaluru: In a bid to develop awareness among the public about rabies and how to behave around stray dogs, BBMP launched an awareness drive, 'Humane Co-Existence with Stray Dogs and Rabies Awareness' on Tuesday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Animal Health Organization (OIE) have set a goal to eradicate dog mediated human rabies globally by 2030. In alignment with the goal, BBMP's awareness drive will educate the public on how to behave with dogs and how to avoid contracting rabies.

The awareness drive will be jointly conducted in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Bangalore and Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS)-Mission Rabies.

Speaking to Hans India, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry(BBMP), Manjunath Shindhe, said " There are three pillars to any awareness drive- Surveillance, Vaccination, and Awareness. We have been achieving the first two pillars and now we have set out to scale up our efforts in creating awareness".

"A dedicated team will target RWAs, semi-urban areas and congested areas and create awareness in these sites. As per our data, congested areas are highly probable sites for dog bites. The team will specifically educate the public on how to identify a rabid dog, how to behave around them, and steps that can be taken to avoid dog bites" he added.

In 2015, BBMP had launched a dedicated Rabies Helpline on August 15, 2020, to strengthen surveillance efforts. People can call the helpline to report suspected cases of rabid dogs and a dedicated team picks up the animal from the location and quarantines it. The dog is further observed in isolation and in the case of death, brain-sample testing is conducted at OIE recognised rabies diagnostic laboratory at Veterinary college in Hebbal to confirm Rabies Disease.

BBMP has also taken up various steps to tackle rabies disease, like mass dog vaccination campaigns, animal birth control programs, rabies surveillance in dogs, making free anti-rabies vaccinations available at PHC's and BBMP referral hospitals.

BBMP has planned to vaccinate 70 per cent of stray dogs in 198 wards in the city. At present, 79845 dogs in 104 wards have been vaccinated against rabies in the year 2021 as compared to 47164 dogs in the year 2020. BBMP hopes to increase its anti-rabies vaccination drive and reach 1 lakh vaccinations by the end of the