City and State record alarming rise in canine attacks over three years

Cases of canine attacks on humans have seen an alarming rise over the past three years in the city and also the State, presenting a scary situation for people, especially defenceless children from poor or lower middle class localities.

Dog bite cases have gone up consistently by 35% within the limits of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and by over 31 per cent in Telangana, between 2022 and 2024, as per the government records.

As per the information recorded on the lntegrated Health lnformation Platform, which was cited by the Health, Medical and Family Welfare department in an official letter to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the city recorded a total 31,141 dog bite cases in 2022, which went up to 42,067 in 2024. In the whole State, the number has gone up from 92,924 to 1,21,997 between 2022 and 2024.

Over the past three years, a total 1,10,057 dog bite cases have been registered in GHMC, while the number for the State stands at a whopping 3,33,935. Deaths due to canine attacks, while fluctuating, have shown a definite rise of over 60% during the three years, with 2022 recording eight deaths, and 2024, 13 deaths. The year 2023 topped the charts with a total 15 deaths, almost double the number from the previous year.

Among all the districts, Hyderabad topped the list with the largest number of canine attacks. In 2024, Hyderabad as a district recorded the highest number of cases, at 21,131, which is almost half the total number recorded across GHMC. However, officials under the condition of anonymity emphasise that the figure could be deceptive, as the Institute of Preventive Medicine is approached by dog bite victims across the State.

The next highest number of dog bite cases, at 14,685, was recorded in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district. Intriguingly enough, the Rangareddy district, which is apace with urbanisation, has recorded only 3,998 cases, clocking a 37% reduction since 2022 when the number stood at 6,348.

Mahabubabad occupies the third position in dog bite cases, at 7707, followed by Nalgonda at 6,971 cases. The lowest number of cases was recorded at Adilabad at 121, followed by 209 in Vikarabad.