Hyderabad: As the stray dog menace continues to grow across Telangana, A rabid dog reportedly attacked nine individuals, including an elderly woman, at Podumuru village in Mangapet mandal of Mulugu district on Monday, September 9.
The victims have been identified as Erravula Sammayya, Koppula Lalayya, Dadani, Saida Bee, Ghore, and four others.
According to reports, the dog initially attacked Koppula Lalayya who was returning from a kirana shop. It then targeted another person nearby and went on to bite seven more individuals from the same area.
The attack caused severe injuries, with an elderly woman suffering significant wounds to her face, especially on her forehead and near her right eye, while a man sustained a deep cut on his right leg.
All the injured victims are receiving medical care at the government hospital in Mangapet. They are reportedly in stable condition, and no deaths have been reported so far.
In a similar incident earlier, seven persons were injured on Sunday, August 18 after a rabid dog went on a biting spree in Bhupalpally district.
Initially, the dog attacked a 5-year-old girl standing near her house; and then it attacked six others in Nugur village of the district.
Earlier, on August 8, four children were attacked by dogs in Yellareddypet Mandal of Rajanna Sircilla district. The victims were identified as Sahjasra, Brithisha, Varun and Varshit Reddy.
The children were doing their homework when the attack took place.
Over 26K dog bite cases in 2023
Around 30,000 people are bitten by dogs every year in Hyderabad, translating to 70 to 90 dog bite cases daily. Over the past decade, Hyderabad has reported over 3 lakh dog bite incidents. According to GHMC officials, there are between 4 to 6 lakh dogs in the city. In 2023 alone, 26,349 cases were reported.
Stray dogs infected with rabies often display aggressive behaviour and suffer from deteriorating health, posing significant risks of fatal attacks. Over the past five years, from January 1, 2019, to April 17, 2024; 54 deaths due to rabies have been reported in Hyderabad, reported ToI.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Tamreen Sultana | 
