Dog bite cases have started to increase at an alarming rate in Thimphu in the last few months. According to the National Referral Hospital, the first week of August alone saw more than sixty dog bite cases. This has left the residents concerned amidst reports of rabies outbreaks in a few districts.
The National Referral Hospital, on average, sees about 10 patients every day coming to get tetanus injections after a dog bite.
According to records with the hospital, from January till July this year, close to 1,500 people in Thimphu have been bitten by dogs compared to around 2,500 last year.
Residents of Thimphu say the surge in dog bite cases this time is worrying with Sarpang and Phuentshogling reporting rabies outbreaks recently.
“I have heard about the increase in dog bite cases here. It is risky for school-going children as well as for us adults. We have to be vigilant and take extra care of our children,” said Choki Norbu, a resident of Thimphu.
“There is a huge risk if we are bitten by a dog. In our village, there are only a few dogs which are all sterilised and vaccinated. There is a greater risk among the students, be it in town or village, as they have to walk to their school,” said Tshering Penjor, another resident.
The increase in dog bite cases is despite the country’s efforts to control the dog population through the Nationwide Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme. The medical superintendent of the National Veterinary Hospital who leads the program said that dog bite cases are likely to remain the same for a few years.
“Ultimately, our aim is to make Bhutan free of stray dogs. That will take maybe another 10-12 years, but we will see some impact after maybe 3-4 years. The number will reduce because the old dogs will disappear. It is not that we are eliminating them. So, I feel the bite cases may remain the same for a few years,” said Dr Kinlay Dorji, team leader, of NADPM&RCP.
In the Nationwide Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme, nearly 62 thousand dogs were sterilised and close to 59 thousand were vaccinated for rabies.
The programme is complete in all the districts except for Samdrup Jongkhar which is expected to achieve the task in a few days.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Phub Gyem
