NewsIP, after having put forth several carefully researched canine inserts, had decided to call it quits, thinking enough had already been said. More so, when the matter was taken up by the highest court of India, not once but twice. Who would have imagined that the lofty Indian courts, with really serious case backlogs, would find time for furry animals and give detailed verdicts, that too, so expeditiously? However, numerous current media reports have suggested that the doggie saga is far from over. Some highbrows have even gone to the extent of claiming that Indian dogs have found a new calling. They have shown exemplary patriotism by biting foreign sports coaches at a stadium.
This may only be a start. Similar to mystery spinners, dogs could very soon, become the ultimate secret weapon for sporting successes, equipped with that vital killer instinct which Indian athletes sadly, seem to lack. Well if some readers find the humor not particularly in good taste; don’t you think that the specter of street dogs in India has gone much beyond wit and comedy? Indeed, the national obsession with dogs may become the ultimate bête noire for a developing nation, already facing numerous challenges. Therefore, to find that India is becoming the Rabies capital of the world is alarming. The indulgence shown by most Indians to the menace of strays is really astonishing. No other country has shown such a dispensation. NewsIP, it its earlier articles have given statistics, national counts, countries where even culling is resorted to as a measure.
Indians on the other hand are today facing a series of attacks by dogs. Be it Infants on prams, Children innocently walking on streets/playing near homes, Senior Citizens, Delivery Boys etc., all face the wrath of killer dogs on a daily basis. Residents of colonies are having to curtail their vital ambulatory commitments. There is no perceptible change in the situation despite municipalities and citizens having been advised on dos & donts. The Apex court’s orders don’t seem to have been properly implemented till now. If things continue this way, very soon, an epidemic of sorts will accost India. As it is, India has limited resources in respect of Anti Rabies Vaccine, Treatment at Infection Diseases Centers, Isolation of victims, Lack of Awareness in Victims, Specialized Medical Staff who are trained to manage conditions, Identifying & Dealing with the Rabid animals, Preventing jump over of rabies to other animals etc. The list is endless and frightening. As a rule, in Social Medicine (proved so eloquently in Covid epidemic), prevention is much better than cure. Oh I forget, Rabies, till date, has no cure only prevention! Rabies is almost always fatal, and survival is extremely rare. It’s said only about 30 people worldwide are known to have survived rabies, and 17 of them are from India. Sometimes a small scratch is all it takes to get rabies and patients die. That vector control is the sine qua non of Rabies management is known to all of civilization by now.
What is particularly astonishing is the fact that India and Indians are aware of the menace, yet they are happy to shove their heads in sand like some collective ostrich. The mollycoddling of the canine menace is indeed a recipe for disaster. Is it that India has suddenly found a new national pastime, something to love which appears to love back and give a satisfaction beyond any other. Even the most uncouth of persons, not given to civil goodism, or positive emotion for a fellow human, may have an extreme adoration for dogs. Surprising yes, but not totally unexpected, in times of extreme self-love and social isolation. Ok, one need not go the other extreme of naming animal lovers as human haters but certainly boundaries are required to be set.
In turbulent times its best that India avoids such social scourges. Alas, humans have a tendency to forget history. Many sociologists felt that the Covid Epidemic was a defining and transformative moment for the world. But in India it does not appear to be so. The reported cases are on the increase The National Rabies Control Program reported 6,644 clinically suspected cases and deaths of human rabies between 2012 and 2022. Despite being preventable, India accounts for around 36% of global rabies deaths, with most cases resulting from dog & cat bites. Currently, there is no sign of abatement. Rabies remains a serious public health issue in India. It’s said that Children account for nearly one-third of rabies deaths in India. Gaps in public education, under-reporting of cases, and challenges in vaccine and immunoglobulin distribution also fuel rabies’ persistence.
Without community engagement and total commitment this hazard cannot be tackled. True, there are challenges but this death trap cannot be allowed to proceed. It need to be tackled on a war footing now! Even if it means, as some say in jest, move the strays to the Wagah/Other Indian borders as deterrent to trespassers and terrorists, with evil intentions, trying to cross into India
