Kochi Corporation to launch vaccination drive for stray dogs in November
KOCHI: With increasing stray dog bites and deaths from rabies becoming a matter of grave concern, the Kochi municipal corporation has taken measures to curb the menace. As part of its Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, the civic body has tied up with an international NGO called Mission Rabies in its fight to keep the stray numbers under control and prevent the spread of rabies.
T K Ashraf, chairman, health standing committee, told TNIE that strong steps are being taken to curb the stray dog menace. “Already, for the past one month, stray dogs were being rounded up from in and around the city, including the identified hot spots by the teams from the Goa-based NGO,” he added. According to him, the corporation has decided to seek expert help since a dearth of staff trained in dog catching and vaccination had left the civic body’s ABC programme crippled.
“The teams, now provided by the NGO, have been rounding up the strays and carrying out the sterilisation process at our facility at Brahmapuram,” he said. According to him, since the start of the programme in 2014, more than 8,000 strays were caught and a birth control procedure conducted.
“Every year we carry out the drive. However, this time, we will also be conducting an anti-rabies vaccination drive in the city with the help of Mission Rabies. The drive will begin on November 20 and conclude on November 25,” he added.
On Thursday, the team from Mission Rabies caught more than seven dogs from around Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and transported them to the ABC facility at Brahmapuram, said Ashraf.
However, according to M M Abbas Poikayil, a social activist, the situation should have been handled by the local self-government departments earlier itself. “The current situation is the consequence of the long-term neglect of the responsibilities and administrative procedures of the LSGDs in accordance with the constitutional and municipal laws. The public is also to be blamed,” he added.
According to him, at a time when even the rabies vaccines are not working, serious consideration to curb the menace needs to be taken. “Steps should be taken to receive advice from experts regarding the current treatment protocol. Health care systems should seek advice from international organisations such as WHO regarding the deaths happening even after vaccination.”