Lok Sabha Question No. 1717 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-16
Subject: Cases of Dog Bites
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ravneet Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. - 1717 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2022

## CASES OF DOG BITES

## 1717.  SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been a significant rise in the cases of dog menace like dog bites related incidents in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise especially in the State of Punjab;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to bring stringent guidelines to curb the menace of stray dogs along with a regulation for management of pet dogs in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government is about to achieve the ambitious National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination from the country by 2030; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) to  (e):  As  reported  by  States/UTs  under  Integrated  Disease  Surveillance  Programme (IDSP), the State/UT-wise number of dog bite cases in India including Punjab is placed at Annexure.

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying,  Government of India has enacted the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 (amended in 2010) which is to be implemented by the local authority to control the population of stray dogs. The main focus of the rules is  on  anti-rabies  vaccination  of  stray  dogs  and  neutering  of  stray  dogs  as  means  of population stabilization.

In addition, Animal Welfare Board, Department of Animal Husbandry has issued several guidelines/advisories  to  State  Governments  for  proper  implementation  of  the  Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC Programme).

Union  Health  Ministry  has  launched  National  Action  Plan  For  Dog  Mediated  Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) from India by 2030 on 28 th September 2021 in collaboration with Ministry  of  Fisheries,  Animal  Husbandry  and  Dairying,  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and NITI AAYOG with an objective:

- i. To prepare an action plan for elimination of human rabies transmitted by dogs
- ii. To strengthen the states for implementation of NAPRE
- iii. To strengthen capacities of the Public Health Services, Veterinary Services and the local governing bodies
- iv. To identify and support activities that when strategically used would eliminate dog mediated Rabies.
- v. To strengthen the coordination and support mechanism among all stakeholders
- vi. To ensure, for as long as possible, continuity of prevention of human rabies, effective, quality assured and accessible vaccination for all who need them

A National  Level  Joint Steering  Committee  has  been  constituted  and  States  have  been asked to constitute State Level Committee for effective implementation of action plan.

To ensure reporting of rabies cases, Union Health Ministry has asked all states /UTs to make Human Rabies a Notifiable Disease so as to made mandatory for all government and private health facilities (including medical colleges) to report all suspected, probable and confirmed Human Rabies cases as per the guidelines formalized by National Rabies Control Program.

Government  of  India  also  support  States/UTs  for  State  and  district  level  activities  of National  rabies  Control  Programme  through  National  Health  Mission.  Government  of India has also approved additional activities under NHM on 7 th September 2022 which includes:

-  Budget Provision for procurement of Anti-Rabies Vaccine/Anti-Rabies Serum for animal bite victims through National Free Drug Initiative
-  Capacity  building  through  trainings  of  Medical  Officers  and  Health  Workers under NRCP.
-  IEC/BCC under NRCP: Rabies Awareness and Do's and Don'ts in the event of Animal Bites
-  Monitoring  and  Surveillance  (review  meetings,  Travel)  and  printing  of  formats for Monitoring and Surveillance

*****

## States/UTs wise case of Dog Bite (till 30 November 2022)

Annexure

| State                  |   Year 2019 |   Year 2020 |   Year 2021 |   Year 2022 |
|------------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Andaman and Nicobar    |         475 |         354 |         149 |         306 |
| Andhra Pradesh         |      373121 |      294006 |      169238 |      169378 |
| Arunachal Pradesh      |        3186 |        2919 |        1193 |        2161 |
| Assam                  |      107258 |       33309 |       10041 |       34071 |
| Bihar                  |      328096 |      120993 |       44602 |      118354 |
| Chandigarh             |       18378 |       13447 |        6306 |        4735 |
| Chhattisgarh           |       50529 |       45040 |       14835 |       17956 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli |        2668 |        2187 |        1201 |        3697 |
| Daman Diu              |        3038 |        1739 |        1140 |        3697 |
| Delhi                  |       45052 |       53093 |       13704 |        5559 |
| Goa                    |       22090 |       14547 |        3208 |        7220 |
| Gujarat                |      480424 |      431425 |      192364 |      144855 |
| Haryana                |      142910 |      102528 |       36328 |       31113 |
| Himachal Pradesh       |       36227 |       17292 |        7658 |       14009 |
| Jammu &Kashmir         |       29263 |       18764 |        4947 |       19890 |
| Jharkhand              |       71727 |       35988 |       11564 |        7130 |
| Karnataka              |      312216 |      217645 |       90323 |      146094 |
| Kerala                 |       81407 |       81118 |       51018 |        3776 |
| Ladakh                 |        1568 |        1193 |         613 |        1988 |
| Lakshadweep            |           0 |           0 |           0 |           0 |
| Madhya Pradesh         |      249270 |      176347 |       64827 |       56042 |
| Maharashtra            |      625193 |      508620 |      210262 |      346318 |
| Manipur                |        5596 |        3266 |        1072 |        3840 |
| Meghalaya              |       11249 |        8504 |        2509 |        4702 |
| Mizoram                |        1658 |        4778 |         660 |         827 |
| Nagaland               |         470 |         543 |         212 |         418 |
| Odisha                 |      177474 |      155031 |       59085 |       57354 |
| Puducherry             |       22968 |       22580 |        7084 |       10633 |
| Punjab                 |       98880 |       33934 |        9245 |       14300 |
| Rajasthan              |      450558 |      324500 |      113916 |       78814 |
| Sikkim                 |        5886 |        5315 |        2411 |        3580 |
| Tamil Nadu             |      836329 |      754457 |      228625 |      330264 |
| Telangana              |      167774 |       66782 |       24124 |       80281 |
| Tripura                |        8660 |        7665 |        3616 |        2650 |
| Uttar Pradesh          |     2023293 |      628712 |       93033 |       13455 |
| Uttarakhand            |       38864 |       22959 |       10122 |      162422 |
| West Bengal            |      443768 |      421913 |      209898 |       18671 |