Anti-rabies vax drive for dogs begins at Vilavoorkal

Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of growing incidence of dog bite cases and rabies deaths, Vilavoorkal panchayat has kicked off anti-rabies vaccination for dogs in the panchayat.
The initiative is being implemented with the support of the department of animal husbandry. The drive started here on Monday.
“We were in a position to not even convene panchayat grama sabha as we noticed a massive number of street dogs here. We also received various complaints about this,” said Vilavoorkal panchayat president T Lalimurali.
She said that waste being thrown in plastic bags is the main reason for the increase in street dogs.
“As part of the Plastic-Free Keralam campaign, we have mini material collection facilities (MCF) in different areas of the panchayat. Along with plastic covers, some people also throw plastic bags filled with waste which attracts dogs,” she adds.
According to her, the panchayat seems to have more than 150 street dogs at the least.
The panchayat has scheduled vaccination drives for dogs at various centres. Ward members have been entrusted with the responsibility to carry out the drive. Out of the total of 17 wards, three to four wards conduct the drive per day.
Residents are also bringing their pet dogs for the drive.
While rules mandate periodic vaccination for pet dogs, most often owners do not comply with the rule. The local bodies also don’t have a scientific system to follow up the vaccination and send reminders to the pet owners. When these pets are abandoned on the streets and get exposed to rabies virus, they become a potential threat to people, an official said.