Reporting mechanisms have improved over the past few years, according to authorities.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: In two months his year, Karnataka has recorded eight deaths due to rabies, with Bengaluru accounting for four.
According to the Health department, of the four deaths in Bengaluru, three - a 38-year-old native of Haryana, a 36-year-old man from Chitradurga, and a 26-year-old man from Tumakuru - were at the Epidemic Diseases Hospital near the Swami Vivekananda Road Metro Station. This is the designated isolation hospital for suspected rabies cases, which sees referrals from other districts.
The fourth was that of a four-year-old boy who died at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) on January 5.
Two people died in Belagavi, and one person each died in Ballari and Shivamogga due to dog-mediated rabies.
The Health department has recorded nearly 66,489 cases of dog bite cases as of February 23, 2025, with the highest in Vijayapura (4,552), Bengaluru’s BBMP limits (4,072), and Hassan (3,688).
This is a jump of over 47% from the same period last year, when nearly 45,173 dog bite cases were reported in Karnataka. Between January and December 2024, a total of 42 deaths and 3,61,522 dog bite cases were reported last year. In 2023, at least 2.32 lakh dog bites and four deaths were reported in Karnataka.
Dr Ansar Ahmed, Project Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, attributed this rise to increased surveillance and reporting of cases from all districts.
“Dog bites are notifiable, hence we have ensured both private and government hospitals notify every single dog bite case. Additionally, all dog bite cases are not rabies cases. However, it is important for every wound to be immediately washed with sterile water and soap to reduce chances of complications,” he said.
A senior official from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services department pointed out that there was more to do for animal vaccination and public awareness, which could be a factor in the numbers being already high. He also stated that rabies transmission is not limited to street dogs, and that increased activity in forested areas increases contact with monkeys, bats and other animals, which ups the risk of bites or scratches and thus, rabies.
“Reporting mechanisms have improved over the past few years. If more cases are being recorded on the system, that is better than cases being missed out, as they used to be in the past. But we need more public awareness about what should be done after animal bites or scratches to avoid delays in accessing the rabies vaccine. Local bodies and the health department need to work together in this regard,” said the official.