Stray dog menace: Chandigarh to seek help from Centre

A six-year-old girl, who was bitten by a rabid dog here has died, prompting city Mayor Poonam Sharma to seek help from the Centre before more lives are lost due to the stray dog menace.
Sadia, who was brutally attacked by the dog in Manimajra here on March 25, died of rabies last night at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, PGIMER spokesperson, Manju Wadwalkar said today.
The dog, who had died later after attacking 13 persons in Manimajra about three weeks back, had bitten Sadia on her lips after which she was rushed to PGIMER, she said.

She was given the anti-rabies treatment and discharged from the hospital after a week, but her condition worsened yesterday as she started frothing at the mouth and nose, after which she was again rushed to the institute, the spokesperson said.
City mayor Poonam Sharma expressed helplessness to tackle dog menace in the face of "strict laws that make it difficult to take effective steps".
"I will be writing a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard. We will seek their help in dealing with the situation," she said.

The Mayor said that she had been in regular touch with Central Research Institute (CRI) officials at Kasauli (HP), the institute which had confirmed that the dog was a rabid one, and they had warned to watch for the symptoms of others who had been bitten that include six children.

In the past one year, there has been spurt in the number of dog attack cases and the municipal authorities here have been battling to find a solution to the problem.
"We tried to extend every help to Sadia, but she could not survive. Officials have been concentrating on Manimajra area and ensuring others who have been bitten are vaccinated regularly," Sharma said.