Canine horror continues: Strays maul woman in Hyderabad's Purani Haveli

HYDERABAD: A 45-year-old woman on Friday suffered severe injuries on her hand and neck after she was attacked by a pack of stray dogs near Yadgar-e-Hussaini dargah in Purani Haveli, just metres away from two schools where children were streaming in to attend class.
By the time passers-by rushed to her rescue, the dogs had clawed at her neck and bitten her hand. The woman, Zeenat, bled profusely while being taken to hospital. Residents claimed the stray canine population had dramatically risen in Old City, leaving schoolchildren and elderly vulnerable.
"Zeenat was going to the dargah when four dogs pounced on her, tore away flesh from her arm and then lunged at her neck. When she screamed for help, locals rushed to save her, but she had suffered multiple bites and lost blood. We first took her to a local doctor and on his advice drove her to Institute of Preventive Medicine, Narayanguda, for an anti-rabies injection. She was quarantined for a while and her wounds stitched," said Sayeed Fatima, administrator of Yadgaar-e-Hussaini
Zeenat, who works at the dargah, hails from an underprivileged family. Her hand is badly injured and she could lose her reflexes to work, said Khadija Hussain, vice-president of Yadgaar-e-Hussaini. Following the dog attack, Pathergatti corporator Sohail Quadri and AIMIM MLC Riyaz-ul-Hasan Affandi rushed to the area to pacify residents. The dog-catching squad too was summoned.
While Purani Haveli's Zeenat wallows in trauma, the number of dog bite cases at the state-run Fever Hospital has crossed 130 per day. Another 100-120 cases are being reported at the Institute of Preventive Medicine.
"The situation is alarming. During summer, there is a spurt in dog bite cases as canines are irritable, dehydrated and confused. People should be more careful in dog-infested areas and not leave children alone.
The elderly must carry a stick to keep dogs at bay. If bitten by a dog, anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulins are mandatory," said Dr K Shankar, medical superintendent, Fever Hospital, where the daily queue for immunoglobulins (given at the dog bite site) continues for 4-5 hours.