Canine terror grips Chittagong

The menace of stray dogs has risen alarmingly in Chittagong with hospitals reporting as many as 700 dog-bite patients in the past one month.
“On an average, we treat 200 patients with dog-bite injuries. But the number of victims has jumped to 700 in the last 30 days,” a medical source said.
This sudden rise of patients is also creating problems for medical authorities in delivering treatment, he added.
Most of the victims are from Sadarghat, Chandgaon, Bayazid, Nandankanon, North Nalapara, Rahman Nagar, Tinpole, Colonel Hat, East Madarbari, BRTC, Khatunganj, Bakalia and Anderkilla areas of the city and Patia, Boalkhali, Satkania and Lohagara upazilas. As for the residents of these areas, the increasing canine menace has triggered panic.
 “In some localities, the dogs appear in large numbers on the roads after evening as if these are their ‘night clubs’,” said Md. Hasan, a resident of Anderkilla in Chittagong. In such a situation, people are forced to take detours to avoid being bitten by the dogs, he added.
Residents of several areas complained that the dogs get ferocious and even attempt to attack passing vehicles. They also block the roads, creating obstacles to traffic movement.
Liton Das, a 10-year boy from Satkania, was attacked by stray dogs while he was returning home from the local market on Tuesday. Rani Begum, a dog-bite patient from Chandgaon area, said, “A stray dog had attacked me while I was coming from a neighbour’s house.”
Injured Nur Mohammad of Colonel Hat area said that he did not get medicines from local hospitals due to scarcity of anti-rabies vaccine. Dr Sarfaraz Khan, Chittagong district civil surgeon, told The Independent that there had been a crisis in the last week of June as the stock was finished. But there is no crisis of vaccines now, he said.
He advised that the injured must come to hospitals for treatment immediately after being bitten by dogs.
Chief medical officer of Chittagong City Corporation Dr Selim Akter Chowdhury said the civic authorities could not launch a drive for putting down stray dogs as there was a governmental prohibition.

 

Canine terror grips Chittagong

The menace of stray dogs has risen alarmingly in Chittagong with hospitals reporting as many as 700 dog-bite patients in the past one month. On an average, we treat 200 patients with dog-bite injuries. But the number of victims has jumped to 700 in the last 30 days, a medical source said. This sudden rise of patients is also creating problems for medical authorities in delivering treatment, he added. Most of the victims are from Sadarghat, Chandgaon, Bayazid, Nandankanon, North Nalapara, Rahman Nagar, Tinpole, Colonel Hat, East Madarbari, BRTC, Khatunganj, Bakalia and Anderkilla areas of the city and Patia, Boalkhali, Satkania and Lohagara upazilas. As for the residents of these areas, the increasing canine menace has triggered panic. In some localities, the dogs appear in large numbers on the roads after evening as if these are their night clubs, said Md. Hasan, a resident of Anderkilla in Chittagong. In such a situation, people are forced to take detours to avoid being bitten by the dogs, he added. Residents of several areas complained that the dogs get ferocious and even attempt to attack passing vehicles. They also block the roads, creating obstacles to traffic movement. Liton Das, a 10-year boy from Satkania, was attacked by stray dogs while he was returning home from the local market on Tuesday. Rani Begum, a dog-bite patient from Chandgaon area, said, A stray dog had attacked me while I was coming from a neighbours house. Injured Nur Mohammad of Colonel Hat area said that he did not get medicines from local hospitals due to scarcity of anti-rabies vaccine. Dr Sarfaraz Khan, Chittagong district civil surgeon, told The Independent that there had been a crisis in the last week of June as the stock was finished. But there is no crisis of vaccines now, he said. He advised that the injured must come to hospitals for treatment immediately after being bitten by dogs. Chief medical officer of Chittagong City Corporation Dr Selim Akter Chowdhury said the civic authorities could not launch a drive for putting down stray dogs as there was a governmental prohibition.