Rabies from stray canine bites claimed 47 lives in Kerala in final 4 years, exhibits RTI reply
The quantity of people that have sought remedy throughout Kerala for stray canine bites has additionally progressively gone up within the final 4 years.
| Picture Credit score: T. SINGARAVELOU
Rabies brought on by stray canine bites has claimed 47 lives in Kerala within the final 4 years between January 2020 and January 2024, revealed a response by the workplace of the State well being director to a Proper to Data (RTI) utility.
This was along with 22 extra lives ‘most likely’ misplaced to rabies, in keeping with the response acquired by RTI activist Raju Vazhakkala.
The best variety of 10 ‘confirmed rabies deaths’ was reported from Kollam district, adopted by 9 in Thiruvananthapuram.
5 lives every have been misplaced in Thrissur and Kannur, 4 in Kozhikode, three every in Ernakulam and Palakkad, two every in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Wayanad, and one every in Malappuram and Kasaragod districts through the interval.
Among the many ‘possible rabies deaths,’ seven have been reported from Alappuzha, three every in Thrissur and Palakkad, two every in Kottayam and Malappuram and one every in Idukki and Kozhikode districts.
“At a time when human-wildlife battle has change into a serious dialogue level, a critical public well being situation brought on by stray canines has gone largely below the radar. Sixty-nine lives, together with 22 possible deaths because of rabies, in 4 years is a big quantity and the problem wants consideration,” mentioned Mr. Vazhakkala.
Whereas 15 deaths every have been confirmed because of rabies in 2022 and 2023, 11 lives have been misplaced in 2021, 5 in 2020 and one within the first month of 2024 alone. Among the many 22 possible deaths brought on by rabies, 12 occurred in 2022 and 10 in 2023.
The quantity of people that have sought remedy throughout the State for stray canine bites has additionally progressively gone up within the final 4 years. Whereas 1.6 lakh individuals sought remedy in 2020, it rose to 2.21 lakh in 2021, 2.88 lakh in 2022 and three.06 lakh in 2023. Within the first month of 2024 alone, 26,060 individuals sought remedy for stray canine chew.
Thiruvananthapuram led the record with 1.46 lakh individuals in search of remedy over the past 4 years, adopted by Palakkad with 1.14 lakh and Kollam with 1.11 lakh.
Households of not all victims of rabies obtain monetary help by the Central or State governments. Nonetheless, loss of life and injury brought on by stray canine bites are being compensated by the Supreme Court docket-appointed Justice S. Siri Jagan Committee via the native our bodies involved. There isn’t a particular sum however the compensation is assessed primarily based on the extent of injury and circumstances.
