Mumbai civic body plans to vaccinate 15,000 stray dogs during 10-day drive till October 10

A civic official announced that over the course of a 10-day initiative in Mumbai, 15,000 stray dogs will receive vaccinations with the aim of eliminating rabies in the city.

A release from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said 15,000 dogs will be vaccinated in P-North, R-South, R-Central, R-North, S and T wards administrative wards in the northern part of the city between September 29 and October 10.

For the first time, app based rabies vaccination will be done in the state. The photo of the vaccinated dog, the place of vaccination and health information will be integrated in the app. After vaccination, the dogs will get QR code collars on an experimental basis, the official said. 

According to the announcement, scanning the QR code will assist in obtaining information on the dog, such as feeder specifics, vaccination and medical data. The BMC estimates that the number of stray dogs in Mumbai has likely surpassed 1.64 lakh, up from 95,000 in the year's canine census.

BMC has proposed the next census of stray dogs in January 2024, based on which a large-scale rabies vaccination campaign is proposed in February, the release said. After the January census, it has been planned to give anti-rabies vaccine to at least 1 lakh dogs in a 10-day period The present vaccination is to assess the actual number of street dogs and to find out the wards where the population may be more and would need intervention, the official said.