JAIPUR: If you are ever a victim of dog bite in this city, it may be of some comfort to know that the chance of contracting rabies is negligible, thanks to Help in Suffering, a 40-year-old Jaipur-based charity that has been vaccinating the canines for the past 25 years.
Over the last quarter of a century, the charity has vaccinated and sterilised more than 80,000 strays through its ambitious Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program.
According to the Indian Journal of Medical Research, 17 million people are bitten by dogs each year in India and 20,000 die because of rabies.
In Jaipur, there’s a reverse trend with just 2.7 people being bitten by dogs per 1,000 population in 2018 compared to 7.2 in 1998. There are around 35,000 strays in the city.
According to Dr Jack Reece, who has been at the helm of this program for over two decades now, Thiruvananthapuram saw a 110 per cent rise in dog bites in the last six years while Chandigarh witnessed a 35% spike in such cases over the last five years.
“By vaccinating over 78% of Jaipur’s street dogs, our ABC programme has broken the cycle of rabies infection and dramatically reduced the number of human rabies cases in Jaipur. By also sterilising the dogs, we ensure there are fewer of them in the city,” said Timmie Kumar, managing trustee of the charity.
According to data provided by the charity, 4,753 stray dogs were vaccinated and another 2,472 sterilised in the city between April 2019 and January 2020.
“We continue to help our citizens by keeping the dog population in control and helping the poor by providing free medical care to their animals,” she added.
World Zoonoses Day is held every year on July 6 to raise awareness on the risks of zoonotic diseases. The day commemorates when Louis Pasteur successfully administered the first vaccine against rabies virus, a zoonotic disease, in 1885.
Zoonoses are infectious diseases (virus, bacteria and parasites) that can be spread from animals to humans, and vice versa. “Our regular foot surveys suggest 78% of Jaipur’s street dog population has been vaccinated, which is well above the threshold necessary for rabies control. The proportion of spayed bitches is over 80%,” the charity said.
Over the last quarter of a century, the charity has vaccinated and sterilised more than 80,000 strays through its ambitious Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program.
According to the Indian Journal of Medical Research, 17 million people are bitten by dogs each year in India and 20,000 die because of rabies.
In Jaipur, there’s a reverse trend with just 2.7 people being bitten by dogs per 1,000 population in 2018 compared to 7.2 in 1998. There are around 35,000 strays in the city.
According to Dr Jack Reece, who has been at the helm of this program for over two decades now, Thiruvananthapuram saw a 110 per cent rise in dog bites in the last six years while Chandigarh witnessed a 35% spike in such cases over the last five years.
“By vaccinating over 78% of Jaipur’s street dogs, our ABC programme has broken the cycle of rabies infection and dramatically reduced the number of human rabies cases in Jaipur. By also sterilising the dogs, we ensure there are fewer of them in the city,” said Timmie Kumar, managing trustee of the charity.
According to data provided by the charity, 4,753 stray dogs were vaccinated and another 2,472 sterilised in the city between April 2019 and January 2020.
“We continue to help our citizens by keeping the dog population in control and helping the poor by providing free medical care to their animals,” she added.
World Zoonoses Day is held every year on July 6 to raise awareness on the risks of zoonotic diseases. The day commemorates when Louis Pasteur successfully administered the first vaccine against rabies virus, a zoonotic disease, in 1885.
Zoonoses are infectious diseases (virus, bacteria and parasites) that can be spread from animals to humans, and vice versa. “Our regular foot surveys suggest 78% of Jaipur’s street dog population has been vaccinated, which is well above the threshold necessary for rabies control. The proportion of spayed bitches is over 80%,” the charity said.
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