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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 17
Two days after a six-year-old girl, Sadia, from Mani Majra died of rabies, another eight-year-old boy was bitten by a stray dog in Mani Majra this morning.
It appears the death has not yet shaken the authorities as no efforts were made either by the hospital to alert the Municipal Corporation about the fresh case or by the civic body to catch the dog.
The possibility that the rabid dog that bit Sadia could have transmitted the infection to other dogs has not yet struck the authorities, said a resident of the area. Experts said, “If a rabid dog bites another dog, the virus transmits easily.”
The victim, Sayyam, a resident of Samadhi Gate, was on his way to a market when a growling dog bit him on his right leg. Though the injuries were not deep, he was rushed to the hospital at 7.30 am. “He was given the anti-rabies vaccine immediately,” said Dr JP Bansal, in charge of the emergency wing at the government hospital, Mani Majra.
The terror that struck Mani Majra residents following Sadia’s death seems to be unending. Earlier, on March 25, a dog had bitten 13 persons within one hour in Mani Majra, including Sadia, who died lat on Wednesday night.
The dog was caught around six hours after it bit the residents and died the next evening. A report from Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, confirmed that the sample of the dog’s head tested positive for rabies.
The rising menace of dogs has left residents horrified and stepping out of home on foot is a nightmare for them. The MC, however, is engrossed in citing its limitations due to dog bylaws in controlling the population of dogs. In fact, since January this year, more than 1,000 cases of stray dog bites have been reported from the city.
Officialspeak
MC Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta said, “Our sterilisation drive is already under way in Mani Majra and in the past two days, 45 dogs have been caught. We will identify the dog that bit the boy today. Besides, a case of a pet dog bite was reported from Modern Housing Complex. That dog was caught for vaccination by our team today.”
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