Even as the city continues to battle a strong menace of dog bites, fear of rabies has pushed residents to seek anti-rabies vaccination even in rare cases of bites by lizards and pigeons, animals that do not transmit the rabies virus, senior medical officer of civil hospital has said.
According to data from the civil hospital, one case of pigeon bite and two cases of lizard bite were reported this year. Rabies is a viral disease transmitted only through mammals, but heightened awareness and fear of the infection have driven people to opt for vaccination even after bites from birds or reptiles.
“We have to cater to the patient. Some patients are just paranoid. Rabies, once symptoms appear, is 100 % fatal. Increased awareness about rabies in recent times may be scaring people and they do not want to leave anything to chance. So we give them anti-rabies treatment if they insist. The vaccine does not cause any side effect ,” said Dr Akhil Sareen, senior medical officer (SMO), civil hospital.
This year also saw the inclusion of rabbits on the list of biting animals. With keeping rabbits as pets gaining popularity, particularly through social media trends, the hospital recorded eight cases of rabbit bites. Health officials said that rabbits, like dogs and cats, are mammals and can contract and transmit rabies if infected.
{{/usCountry}}This year also saw the inclusion of rabbits on the list of biting animals. With keeping rabbits as pets gaining popularity, particularly through social media trends, the hospital recorded eight cases of rabbit bites. Health officials said that rabbits, like dogs and cats, are mammals and can contract and transmit rabies if infected.
{{/usCountry}}Another notable contributor to bite cases was monkeys, with 78 cases reported this year. Hospital staff dealing with vaccinations said these cases were largely linked to people returning from hill stations.
The hospital also reported 103 cases of rat bites. Medical officials pointed out that rats are carriers of several diseases apart from rabies. Additionally, three cases of squirrel bites were recorded during the year.
Meanwhile, dog bite cases remained almost unchanged compared to last year, marking the first time in five years that the city did not witness a spike. The civil hospital recorded 13,153 dog bite cases this year, slightly lower than 13,488 cases last year.
However, the broader trend remains worrying. Ludhiana has seen a steady rise in dog bite cases over the past few years — 6,115 cases in 2021, 8,601 in 2022, and 9,461 in 2023 — underlining the persistent challenge posed by animal bite management in the city.