Over 2.3 lakh dog bite cases, 19 rabies death reported in past six months in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): In the past six months, Karnataka has recorded more than 2.3 lakh dog bite cases and 19 rabies deaths, indicating a sharp increase compared to the corresponding period last year, according to official data released on Sunday.
In all of 2024, the state reported 3.6 lakh dog bite cases and 42 rabies deaths.
According to data shared by the State Health Department’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) with PTI, Karnataka registered 2,31,091 dog bite cases and 19 rabies deaths between January 1 and June 30 this year.
In comparison, the same period last year saw 1,69,672 dog bite cases and 18 rabies deaths.
An analysis of the data shows that dog bite cases have increased by approximately 36.20 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
The recent surge in concern was fuelled by a viral video showing a three-year-old girl being attacked and dragged by two stray dogs on the streets of Hubballi, this week.
Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, said the situation is not out of control.
"The number of cases appears high now because they are being reported more accurately. Even earlier, similar incidents were occurring, but now there is better reporting," he said.
Outlining the department's efforts to curb such incidents, Gupta told PTI, "We are focusing on creating awareness, training doctors on how to treat dog bite victims, ensuring the availability of medicines in sufficient quantities, and instructing urban local bodies and rural administrations to manage the stray dog population."
He emphasised that even minor scratches or small bites require immediate medical attention, as they can also lead to infections.
"These efforts are gradually gaining momentum, and we expect the situation to improve further in the coming days," Gupta said.
Health officials pointed out that the reporting of dog bite cases and rabies deaths has been the highest since 2022, when Karnataka declared human rabies a notifiable disease under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020.
Since then, all government and private health facilities are mandated to report all suspected, probable, and confirmed human rabies cases to the State Health Department.
According to the data, the highest number of dog bite cases was reported in Vijayapura (15,527), followed by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) limits with 13,831 cases, Hassan (13,388), Dakshina Kannada (12,524), and Bagalkot (12,392).
Bangalore Rural reported 4,408 dog bite cases, while Bangalore Urban reported 8,878 cases.
Notably, no rabies deaths were reported within BBMP limits or in Bangalore Rural.
Among the 19 rabies deaths reported between January and June this year, Bangalore Urban accounted for the highest number with nine cases, followed by Belagavi with five. One death each was reported in Bagalkote, Ballari, Chikkaballapura, and Shivamogga.
The fewest dog bite cases were reported in Yadgir (1,132), followed by Chamarajanagara (1,810) and Kodagu (2,523).
Gupta acknowledged that while more can be done to prevent deaths, the challenge remains significant.
He said the stray dog population needs to be brought under control and vaccinated regularly to prevent rabies outbreaks.
"However, monitoring and vaccinating every stray dog is a major practical challenge, given their large numbers," he noted.
Gupta also highlighted a recent order mandating local deputy commissioners to conduct audits into every dog bite-related death.
"These audits are meant to determine the circumstances surrounding the death, including whether the patient delayed seeking treatment, if there were gaps in care, and whether the infected dog was identified and dealt with," he said, adding these are the questions local administrations must start addressing.
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Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing US of violating deal to reopen it
Cairo (AP): Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway on Saturday after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.
Iran's joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The announcement came the morning after US President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear programme.
The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the US and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait, and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.
Control over the strait has proven to be one of Iran's main points of leverage and prompted the United States to deploy forces and initiate a blockade on Iranian ports as part of an effort to force Iran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to end almost seven weeks of war that has raged between Israel, the US and Iran.
Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. But after Trump said the blockade would continue, top Iranian officials said his announcement violated last week's ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US and warned the strait would not stay open if the US blockade remained in effect.
A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran's approval.
US forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, US Central Command said on X.
Truce in Lebanon could help US-Iran peace efforts
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The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement. But it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a deal it did not play a role in negotiating, and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.
Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the US from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defence.
Shortly before Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.
He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90 per cent of Hezbollah's missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.
In Beirut, displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.
An end to Israel's war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking last week's ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel had said that the deal did not cover Lebanon.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
