The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) health department is planning to vaccinate 1.80 lakh stray dogs over a six-month period as part of the rabies-free campaign mandated by the central government.
The health department has announced the training of all officials from the veterinary and animal husbandry departments to administer vaccinations to the dog population under their jurisdiction.
According to Dr Sarika Phunde, Head of PMC's Veterinary Department, five organisations have been appointed to carry out vaccination and sterilisation work, which will commence shortly.
The vaccination efforts are crucial following six fatalities caused by rabies within the urban area. The increasing number of deaths has raised concerns about the PMC’s healthcare system's ability to combat the rabies outbreak.
The Central government has launched the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) to prevent and control rabies.
