Written By: Muskan Gupta | Published : November 20, 2025 9:31 AM IST
Tamil Nadu has reported 5.25 lakh dog bite cases this year, up from 4.8 lakh the previous year, showing a 9% increase. The State's Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine reported 43 rabies deaths last year and 28 so far this year. The incidence of dog bites has risen this year, according to A. Somasundaram, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. He stated that the matter required inter-departmental cooperation.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday expressed concern over the alarming rise in the number of dog bites and rabies-related deaths in Tamil Nadu. In a post on X, he wrote, "According to a newspaper report, Tamil Nadu recorded 5,25,000 cases of dog bites this year (so far) and 28 deaths due to rabies."
According to a newspaper report, Tamil Nadu recorded 5,25,000 cases of dog bites this year (so far) and 28 deaths due to rabies
Dog lovers' concerns are valid but they should also consider the alarming data Being a dog lover is not antagonistic to support sequestering stray P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 18, 2025
Chidambaram asked dog lovers to support and help enforce the Court's instructions, underlining that these regulations are intended to guarantee the safety of street users, notably children, women, and the elderly.
"The Supreme Court has directed the release of the vaccinated dogs in their old habitats (except in some public places). There is no attempt to eliminate stray dogs. Dog lovers must support and help in the implementation of the Court-directed measures. They are for the safety of street-users, especially children, women and senior citizens," the post concluded.
Suresh Kumar, senior consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, said dog bites remained a significant challenge. "The number of stray dogs has increased, and we need to evaluate whether sterilisation strategies are effectively addressing the issue. Public awareness about getting vaccinated after a dog bite has improved, but knowledge about RIG remains low. Previously, even physicians had limited awareness that category III bites require RIG, though this has improved over time. Many still assume RIG is unnecessary. It is important to remember that vaccines take at least 15 days to produce antibodies against the virus," he said.
A. Somasundaram, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said, "The Health Department focuses on Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV), proper wound cleaning, ensuring availability of ARV and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG), and treatments. We are taking steps to ensure that those who suffer dog bites complete the four-dose ARV schedule. We are ensuring this through vigorous review of patient registrations and a call for action against staff who fail to follow up. Some assume that bites from pets or familiar dogs are harmless and skip the vaccination. This is risky. One must get vaccinated irrespective of whether the bite is from a pet or a stray."
According to data available on the Press Information Bureau's website, there were 37,15,713 documented dog attacks across the country, including 25,201 in Delhi alone.
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