Before tackling stray dogs issue, India must count them properly , Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court directed the Delhi government to capture and shelter stray dogs due to increasing dog attacks on children on August 11.
• The 2019 Livestock Census is the most recent nationwide stray dog count, but Delhi's census was conducted in 2016.
• Tamil Nadu recorded 8.3 lakh dog bites with 4.4 lakh stray dogs in 2019, while Manipur reported no stray dogs but around 5,500 dog bite cases in the same year.
• WHO estimates that 99% of human rabies cases are caused by infected dog bites, and India aims for rabies elimination by 2030 through mass dog vaccination.

Detailed Insights:

• The effectiveness of relocating dogs to shelters is questioned due to the lack of adequate shelters in Delhi.
• Discrepancies exist between dog bite data and dog population figures across states, suggesting inaccuracies in dog population estimates.
• India's National Action Plan aims to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030 through strategic mass dog vaccination, targeting 70% of dogs for three years.
• A rabies elimination program in Goa demonstrated that vaccinating 70% of dogs eliminated human rabies cases by 2019 and reduced canine rabies cases by 92%.
• Goa recorded the highest number of dog bites per capita in 2019, with 1,412 dog bites for every 1 lakh people.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Livestock Census: A periodic count of livestock, including stray dogs, conducted by the government.
• Rabies Elimination: A public health initiative aimed at eradicating rabies through vaccination and control measures.
• Mass Vaccination: A strategy to vaccinate a large percentage of a population to achieve herd immunity and prevent disease spread.