BHUBANESWAR: Around 25 per cent stray dogs in the state capital have been vaccinated in the last nearly one month, informed the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The civic body, as part of the World Veterinary Day recently organised a special mass dog vaccination drive in different parts of the city during which it sensitised households to vaccinate their dogs and support the smooth vaccination of stray dogs in their localities. The drive is part of the nationwide drive to eliminate dog-mediated rabies from the country by 2030.
As per the census carried out in the city between September 18 and 25 last year, the capital city is home to about 47,126 stray dogs, accounting for around 3.62 pc of the 13 lakh people in the state capital. Of them, 11,624 stray dogs, accounting for nearly 25 pc, have now been vaccinated under the mass dog vaccination (MDV) drive in the city from March 30 this year.
The MDV programme is targeted at vaccinating both stray and community dogs with the objective of controlling the spread of rabies, a deadly yet preventable disease, said mayor Sulochana Das. “The drive intends to sensitise citizens about the ongoing vaccination programme,” she said.
BMC nodal officer for MDV programme Dr Prasanta Kumar Sika said the campaign is part of a broader strategy to achieve at least 70 pc vaccination coverage among the stray dog population, a benchmark considered critical for breaking the transmission cycle of rabies.
“Around 374 stray and community dogs were also vaccinated in different campuses and residential societies during the recent special drive,” he said.
BMC has planned to vaccinate around 40,000 dogs in the city this year as part of its MDV drive.