Dog attacks have been on the rise in India lately. The physical wounds suffered can be cured as time passes by. However, what cannot be cured is the deadly virus of Rabies.
Dog attacks have increased mainly due to an increase in the number of stray dogs. While spaying dogs to restrict their numbers is something that the government has to carry out. A citizen has taken to herself to vaccinate as many stray dogs in her locality as possible.
Supriya Srivastava, a resident of Indira Nagar, a residential area in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, conducted a two-day vaccination drive for stray dogs. She administered an anti-rabies vaccine to the stray dogs. She mostly sponsors the vaccines herself and, at times, with some donations. She takes help from a network of feeders to carry out the vaccinations.
She said that her target was to vaccinate 400 stray dogs, but she was able to vaccinate around 200. She claimed that 99% of dogs in her locality are vaccinated. She vaccinated stray dogs in certain blocks of Indira Nagar and some slum areas. The vaccine used by her was a '9 in 1' vaccine, which immunizes dogs against multiple diseases. She said that the vial of this vaccine is expensive, however, it is cost-effective as one vial can vaccinate around ten dogs.
Srivastava said that she has been looking into this matter since COVID and had conducted a similar drive in 2021. She has three dogs and learned to administer the vaccine from a veterinary doctor.
Rabies is a viral disease that spreads from the saliva of infected dogs. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, confusion, and fear of water. The result is always death.
(Input from various media sources)