In the latest episode of dog attack, on September 9, CCTV footage showed a toddler running for his life in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha as the stray dogs launched an attack on him.
Several incidents of stray dogs attacking passersby, including children, have been reported in the city. Locals claim that children have been leaving their homes with a stick in hand, fearful of dog attacks.
In a video obtained by India Today, the small boy can be seen fleeing away from the dog as the canine hurries up to capture and attack the boy.
This is one of several reports of stray dog attacks reported from Uttar Pradesh.
Residents say they are afraid to let their children out since the administration claims to be studying animal birth control systems in the area. Attacks by stray dogs have allegedly caused panic in the area, and roughly a dozen such occurrences have been reported in recent months.
On September 5, a 5-year-old girl was dragged from her home by the dogs and was brutally attacked. The minor was rescued only after the mother of the girl screamed for help gathering the neighbors. The girl was then shifted to a hospital for treatment but no anti-rabies vaccine was available. The girl was then provided with the vaccine by one of the neighbors who had got the vaccine for himself after he was attacked by a dog.
Further, it was reported on the same day that a 14-year-old boy from Ghaziabad had lost his life one and a half months after he was bitten by a dog. The boy didn’t inform about the dog bite at home and failed to take the anti-rabies vaccine, as a result of which his health deteriorated and he died. The boy was also taken to around 3-4 hospitals for treatment but he could not be saved.
A 70-year-old retired doctor was bitten to death by a pack of dogs while out on a morning walk on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in April of this year. Last year, strays killed a five-year-old girl in Agra, while dogs killed a 12-year-old boy in Bareilly in May.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, more than 55,000 individuals die as a result of a dog bites due to a lack of awareness about the importance of seeking medical attention after a dog bite. The majority of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa. India is a rabies-endemic country, accounting for 36% of global rabies deaths.
Notably, a report by Times of India from July 2023 stated that around 307 persons died of rabies in India in the year 2022.
