NEW DELHI: A total of 49 cases of rabies have been reported in the national capital, so far this year, while over 65,000 stray dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated over a six-month period, according to the MCD’s official data.
The rabies cases were recorded at the MVID Hospital between January and July of this year, while 35,198 animal bite incidents were reported across the capital from January to June, according to official data.
To address these issues, an equal number of anti-rabies vaccines (ARV) were administered during this period, an official stated.
In a bid to control the stray dog population and prevent the spread of rabies, the MCD sterilised and immunised 65,031 stray dogs between January 25 and June 25 this year.
In comparison, the civic body has projected that 97,994 dogs will be sterilised and vaccinated between April 2024 and December 2025. This follows previous years where 79,959 dogs were sterilised in 2023–2024, and 59,076 in 2022–2023, indicating a consistent increase in efforts. Officials noted that the civic body is focused on enhancing the efficiency and capacity of the sterilisation network amid rising public concerns over stray dog attacks in various parts of the city.
To further tackle the issue, the MCD’s standing committee formed a subcommittee earlier this month to focus exclusively on stray dog management.
The subcommittee met Thursday and decided to re-engage existing NGOs and bring in more for an intensive month-long sterilisation drive. CM Rekha Gupta called for a humane, consultative approach to tackle stray dog issues amid rising public concern
over bite incidents.