On Monday, 27th August, Nayeeb Shaikh, a four-year-old girl from Bhiwandi who was bitten by a dog in July this year, died while receiving treatment at Sion Hospital. The reason for her death is believed to be a severe dog bite. She was admitted to three separate government hospitals for proper treatment but could not be saved.
As per the reports, local residents of Bhiwandi’s Shanti Nagar locality killed a stray dog on the 10th of July after it had bitten numerous people in the preceding two days. According to locals, three dogs, including the one killed, bit 135 persons in Bhiwandi including over 30 children aged 4 to 12 in recent weeks. The injured were shifted to Bhiwandi’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment.
According to Shanti Nagar locals, the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation’s (BNCMC) dog sterilization clinic has remained closed for several years, increasing the city’s stray dog population.
𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 | 4 year old Nayeeb Shaikh died due to complications from dog bite in Bhiwandi. Local SP MLA Rais Shaikh demands officials of Bhiwandi Nizampur Corporation be held responsible for 800 dog bites since July.rais pic.twitter.com/1nJSoP8Xts
— MUMBAI NEWS (@Mumbaikhabar9) August 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Bhiwandi East MLA Rais Shaikh has commented on the issue and demanded an FIR be filed for negligence in the case. “In the past two or three months, nearly 800 children have been attacked by dogs in Bhiwandi. Another girl, Nayeeb, who a dog bit on July 8, passed away today. She was in a lot of pain and it is a sad incident,” Shaikh said.
“The incident took place during the assembly session and we had provided details then as well and sought an inquiry by the collector. This is negligence as in January, a tender should have been issued to sterilize street dogs, which has not been done as yet,” he added.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, another girl named Laiba also lost her life to a severe dog bite on Sunday, 26th August. Riyaz Shaikh, Laiba’s grandfather commented on the issue and said that the girl suffered an injury on her right cheek. “My granddaughter suffered an injury to her right cheek. The dogs were uncontrollable, and we alerted each other about this particular dog as many of us noticed it attacking people. Unfortunately, my child could not survive the pain from the incident. She was continuously hospitalized, first at Indira Gandhi Government Hospital, then Kalwa Hospital, and finally at Sion Hospital. The doctors said the poison had spread throughout her body,” he added.
The residents of the Shanti Nagar area in Bhiwandi have expressed concern over increasing incidents of dog bites. They say that small children were bitten on the chest, legs, hands in multiple incidents. Also, several bikers and auto drivers had been attacked. Shaikh added. “It’s the municipal corporation’s fault for not taking cognizance of the matter.”
Meanwhile, the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) has stated that the cause of death of the minor girl will be investigated and action will soon be taken.
India has the world’s highest number of rabies cases
Rabies is a preventable viral disease that is most commonly spread via a rabid animal’s bite. The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system of the victim, resulting in brain illness and death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, more than 55,000 individuals die as a result of a dog bite 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.
As per WHO’s data, rabies kills around 18,000 to 20,000 people each year in India. Further, minors under the age of 15 account for 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India, as bites in minors frequently go unrecognized and unreported. Notably, a report by Times of India from July 2023 stated that around 307 persons died of rabies in India in the year 2022.
Dog bites generate around 96% of rabies cases and deaths in India. According to the Association for the Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI), India records several lakh dogbites each year. In India, dogs are responsible for about 97% of human rabies, followed by cats (2%) and jackals and mongoose (1%).
In September 2023, a 14-year-old boy identified as Shahvej lost his life one and a half months after he was bitten by a dog in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The boy didn’t inform about the dog bite at home and failed to take the anti-rabies vaccine, as a result, the family was unaware of his deteriorating health.
In June last year, a ‘dog lover’ named Stephin V Pareira died of rabies in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. She used to feed stray dogs and had neglected scratches made by one of the dogs in her hand while feeding the animal. Her rabies symptoms were diagnosed while she was taking care of her sick brother in the hospital. Despite treatment, she succumbed on June 17 last year.
