Lockdown, food shortage cause spike in Indore dog bite cases

Indore: Incidents of dog bites in Indore, Madhya Pradesh's most coronavirus affected city, have gone up in the past 20 days, doctors said on Monday, with activists claiming lack of food due to the lockdown may be making the canines irritable and aggressive.

On Monday, 22 new COVID-19 cases were found in the city, taking the total COVID-19 count here to 328. So far, 33 people have died of the infection.

"At present, 40-50 people are coming to our hospital every day after being attacked by street dogs. These numbers are unusual as curfew has been imposed and people are supposed to stay indoors. At a time when the COVID-19 infection is rampant, we have to divert some staff for treatment of dog bites," Ashutosh Sharma, in charge of Hukumchand Poly Clinic, popularly known as Lal Hospital, told PTI on Monday.

"We have to give the patients four to five injections over 28 days to prevent rabies," he said.

People For Animals Indore unit president Priyanshu Jain said the curfew has caused 50,000 dogs in the city to rummage for food.

"They are facing problems getting food which is making them irritable and aggressive. When hungry dogs see people walking about wearing masks, they get suspicious, bark at them and attack," Jain added.

He said the Indore Municipal Corporation was making 10,000 chapatis, gruel and rice for street dogs and areas where it was being served properly, complaints of dog bites have come down.

(PTI)