Record dog bites caused by stray, pet dogs separately: Govt to states

TO IMPROVE surveillance of dog bite incidents and rabies cases, the Centre has directed state governments to record instances of bites caused by stray and and pet dogs separately.

In an order on March 7, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) wrote to the states, directing them to provide quality data on animal bites from all public health centres, community health centres, district hospitals and tertiary care facilities with inclusion of specific details regarding dog bites caused by pets and strays.

States have been asked to avoid multiple entries of the same animal bite victims by maintaining separate records for new and follow-up patients in the animal bite exposure register.

The Centre's order comes at a time when there have been several cases of mauling by stray dogs and pet dog bites from urban areas. Even though there was a substantial dip in dog bite cases since 2018, the cases are on the rise since 2022. Between 2022 and 2023, dog bite cases increased from 21.8 lakh to 27.5 lakh, according to data tabled by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Parliament. With 4.35 lakh cases, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of dog bite cases last year.

The government's order also comes on the back of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)’S representations to the Union Ministry of Health, seeking segregated recording of data to improve public health tracking and resolution of dog bite cases.

In a representation the AWBI sent to the Ministry last year, it had pointed out that in the absence of specific segregated data, there was an assumption that most bites are predominantly caused by street dogs. The AWBI said segregating data would also help understand distribution of the dog bite cases and increase accountability and responsibility among pet owners as well.

The AWBI is a statutory advisory body under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Abi Vanak, an ecologist from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), said segregating the recording of data will help in surveillance of dog bites and rabies.

However, he added, that authorities should more importantly pay attention to the vaccination and sterilisation history of dogs.

Vanak also pointed out that the Animal Birth Control Rules (ABC Rules), 2023, have created categories such as “street dogs and community dogs”.

“In such cases, it becomes nearly impossible to ascertain actual ownership status, especially if the dog is free-ranging,” said Vanak, senior fellow and director, centre for policy design, ATREE.