Thane: 249 dog-bite cases seen in Bhiwandi in two days

There were 45 dog-bite cases in Shantiwadi, Bhiwandi on July 8. Representation Pic

Five-year-old Raiba Sheikh's family in Bhiwandi has had the worst two days of their lives, as their only daughter has now been admitted to Thane's civil hospital after being brutally attacked by a rabid dog. Her uncle Imran Sheikh said the doctors had told the family she would have to undergo surgery.

"Her father is an auto-rickshaw driver. It happened while she was near a municipal school in Shantiwadi. Suddenly, she was attacked by the dog, which went on to bite more people, running all the way to a nearby masjid," he said.

In total, there were 45 dog-bite cases in this area on July 8. Out of the 45, hospital records show that more than 25 were children. The day prior, there were 60 dog-bite cases in Kamat Nagar in Bhiwandi. In just two days, the state-run Indira Gandhi hospital in Bhiwandi was overwhelmed with about 249 dog cases, which included cases from other areas.

mid-day verified the hospital records, which show victims as young as four years old and as old as those in their 70s. "There were a total of 135 cases on July 8 and 114 cases on July 7. Most of them were adults. There is one paediatric patient admitted here; the rest were discharged. Three more paediatric patients were referred to the civil hospital," said Dr Madhvi, chief medical officer at Indira Gandhi hospital.

The paediatric patient, nine-year-old Ayan Sheikh, has bite marks on his hands. "His condition is stable. We have administered anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin along with antibiotics," Dr Madhvi added. She said there was an adequate stock of medicines and anti-rabies shots for patients. "The municipal corporation needs to review how this has happened," she said. Relatives of the patients at the hospital expressed their anger to the press over the municipal corporation's failure to control the stray dog population.

Official Speak

Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ajay Vaidya said, "Sterilisation of stray dogs as well as controlling rabid dogs requires expert assistance as per law. The tender process had started in 2023, but there was a lack of adequate bids. Subsequently, the code of conduct had started. Now, we have issued permissions to float the tender again."