Dog that bit eight people confirmed with rabies, municipality calls emergency council meeting

MUVATTUPUZHA: A pet dog that bit eight people in Muvattupuzha has been confirmed with rabies. The said dog died yesterday and the rabies was confirmed after a post-mortem. Muvattupuzha Municipal Council called an emergency council meeting to take further action in the incident. Dogs will be monitored in areas where dog attack took place. The chairman of the municipality said that the transfer of stray dogs to the observation centre will be looked into. Vaccination of stray dogs in the area will start at 6 am on Tuesday. He also clarified that a special team will arrive from Kottayam for this purpose.

The dog, which was locked in an iron cage in the municipal premises after the attack, died on Sunday afternoon. The dog attack took place in Thrikka, Azad Road, Kadavumpadam and Pulinchuvad areas of the city on Thursday. The dog had attacked a goat, cow and passers-by, including children.They were treated at Muvattupuzha General Hospital.

The eight people who suffered bites are still under observation. Under the leadership of D. Jayakumar, who came from Kottayam, the dog was caught and put in an iron cage and kept in the municipal premises for observation for ten days. Earlier, a case was filed against the owner as the dog was not vaccinated against rabies.