According to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) anti-rabies vaccination report released on Monday, stray dogs have been vaccinated in 35% of the city's 67 wards during a drive that has been ongoing for a month. The initiative is expected to be completed within the next two months.
Vaccination Progress and Targets
In the most recent census, 47,000 dogs were counted, and so far, 30% have been vaccinated. Prasant Sika, nodal officer of the animal birth control (ABC) programme, stated, "While we have covered 23 wards in the city, 44 more wards need attention in the next two months." He clarified that dogs vaccinated prior to the current special drive are easily identifiable due to ear tagging and are not included in the latest vaccination report.
Tripartite Agreement for Mission Mode Vaccination
In January, BMC signed a tripartite agreement with the College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Worldwide Veterinary Service, and Mission Rabies India to vaccinate stray dogs on a mission mode. Most stray dogs are captured using nets at their roaming locations, vaccinated, and then released. Friendly dogs are handled by hand. The teams prefer early morning hours for the drive.
Antibody Testing and Future Plans
"To check antibody levels in dogs, random sero-surveillance will be conducted. Blood samples from vaccinated dogs will be taken soon, as a dog is eligible for an antibody test 21 days after vaccination," said Sika. Prior to the mass vaccination drive that began on March 30, only 5,000 dogs had been vaccinated, mostly those that underwent sterilization under the ABC programme and received anti-rabies shots during quarantine at kennels.
