Ludhiana district sees three-fold rise in cat bite cases over five years
Ludhiana district recorded 111 cases in 2020, 80 in 2021, 198 in 2022, and a total of 276 cases were reported in 2023
The district has seen a three-fold rise in the cat bite cases in the last five years, according to the data from the local health department.
The data says that the district logged 121 cases in 2019, which went up to 415 in 2024.
The district recorded 111 cases in 2020, 80 in 2021, 198 in 2022, and a total of 276 cases were reported in 2023.
Civil hospital pharmacy officer Baljeet Kaur says most cases involved stray cats. She oversees anti-rabies vaccination at the hospital.
Doctors warned that just like dogs, cats are carriers of the deadly rabies virus.
However, the municipal corporation (MC) does not have a vaccination programme for stray cats.
“We do sterilise stray cats. Unlike dogs, who are vaccinated for rabies along with sterilisation, the cats are not given that vaccination,” said MC veterinary superintendent Dr Maninder Kaur.
Doctors say anti-rabies vaccination for stray cats in needed.
“Just like stray dogs, cats are potential carriers of rabies, and should be vaccinated,” said civil hospital senior medical officer Dr Harpreet Singh.
Spike in monkey bite cases
The data also shows a spike in monkey bite cases in the district. In 2019, 72 cases of monkey bites were reported, which went up to 200 in 2024.
According to pharmacy officer Baljeet Kaur, these cases were mostly in people who had come back from vacations at hill stations.
“These cases include people who had gone to hill stations for vacations and were bitten by a monkey there. Some of them had already taken an injection or two before coming here,” she said.