This is in reference to a news item that appeared in a section of the Press stating the Goa government working towards elimination of canine rabies from India. That the goal will be attained by only vaccinating dogs, both domestic and strays; and a hotline established for public to report any dog seen with signs of rabies. The news smacks of Ignorance about rabies and that it can be eliminated. Permit me to enlighten our ignorant government about facts of rabies. Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans by animals mostly through bites and scratches. The infected animal is not restricted only to the dog, domestic or stray, but also to cats, bats, skunks, and a varied other animals. The virus cannot be eliminated, but incidence of rabies can be controlled. The yearly incidence of deaths due to rabies in Goa is in single digit, whereas the incidence of dog bites is in hundreds. This exercise undertaken by government is just an eyewash to fool the public. It will not reduce the menace of dog bites in the country nor rabies. If the government is really concerned about the public welfare in reducing rabies, they need to reduce the numbers of stray dogs roaming freely all over and attacking humans. They need to reduce the heaps of garbage seen all over, specially leftover food disposed off indiscriminately. They need to apprehend people feeding strays with poultry and other animal waste on city roads. No one objects to dog lovers taking the strays home and feeding them.
http://epaper.gomantaktimes.com/GomantakTimes/22Mar2017/Enlarge/page4.htm Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
