In Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha, dogs and jackals have bitten 300 people in seven months, and five have died. Thirty bite victims were vaccinated on Friday alone. Tests on dog and jackal samples found rabies, and a research team from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) arrived in Sundarganj on Thursday.
According to the upazila health office and the Department of Livestock Services, a rabid dog bit 25 people in Kanchibari union on 22 April, five of whom died. Since then six were bitten in Sarbananda union on 6 August, nine by jackals in Belka union on 20 September, eight in Bamandanga on 26 September and 42 in four unions between 25 October and 7 November.
The livestock department counts about 6,000 stray dogs and at least 3,000 jackals in the upazila, so about 6,000 doses are needed. With too little vaccine, district and upazila funds have covered 1,157 dogs in 15 unions and one municipality so far. Officials say an area can be made rabies-free if 70 per cent of its dogs are vaccinated for three years running.
Upazila livestock officer K M Iftekharul Islam said dog culling has been stopped since 2019 and the dog vaccination project has ended, and dogs and jackals have multiplied as a result. Vaccination of 500 dogs has begun in Belka union, he said. Municipal assistant engineer Hamidur Rahman said the municipality buys vaccine with its own money from time to time.
Children are the most afraid, with packs of dogs at road corners, playgrounds and school gates. Morsheda Begum of Collegepara says at least 20 dogs sit along the 200 metres between her home and her son's madrasa.
Upazila health and family planning officer Dr Kamrul Hasan urged people not to panic but to come to hospital quickly after a dog or jackal bite. He advised washing the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes.
Photo: Riaz Uddin Fahim / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Samakal
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