MP’s Dhar Reports 14,000 Dog Bites In Nine Months, District Shelter Home Shut For Two Months

In Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, approximately 14,000 dog bite incidents have been reported over the past nine months, despite difficulties in maintaining a sterilization campaign across urban areas, including the district capital. The shelter house built by Dhar Nagar Palika to control stray dog populations has been shut down for two months due to a lack of funding for an Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre, which was intended to be constructed in Jetpura.

Despite government instructions, the sterilization campaign is not being carried out consistently across different bodies in the district. Every month, around 150 to 200 dog bite patients, both from Dhar city and rural areas, visit Government Bhoj Hospital. A specialized room for anti-rabies vaccination has been set up at the hospital, offering free vaccines, but patients remain apprehensive about vaccine availability when required.

Experts emphasize the potential for aggressive behavior in hungry street dogs, increasing the risk of bites. Two instances have highlighted concerns about the system's efficiency. On July 6, 2025, a 60-year-old woman from Gujarat, Sushmita Das, was bitten by a dog in Mandu but was denied an anti-rabies injection at the Mandu Primary Health Centre, citing vaccine unavailability.

The health department subsequently suspended the involved doctor. On June 14, 2026, a three-year-old girl, Hitanshi, was attacked by a dog in Bangla Billaud village, Nalcha, resulting in severe facial scratches. She required plastic surgery in Indore. Dr. Sanjay Joshi, a specialist at the district hospital, stressed the importance of rabies vaccination as the sole protection against the disease, stressing that a full course of injections must be administered without any missed doses. After a bite, wounds should be washed thoroughly with soap and running water.