Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 6

Stray dogs struck terror in Baramulla town of north Kashmir on Tuesday morning. The canines attacked nearly 50 persons, including women and elderly.

However, what compounded the misery of the victims was the non-availability of enough stocks of anti-rabies vaccine.

“We received 45 persons with dog bites at the hospital on Tuesday morning. All of them were given first aid and were vaccinated,” Dr Syed Masood, Medical Superintendent, District Hospital, Baramulla, told The Tribune.

On the non-availability of the anti-rabies vaccine in the hospital, the Medical Superintendent said: “We had some stock of anti-rabies vaccine but since the number of persons with dog bites was large, it took us time to manage the fresh vaccines.”

Witnesses said a pack of stray dogs attacked people, many of them office-goers, near Dak Bungalow at Kanthbagh, where many chicken shops are located. Residents blamed the chicken shop owners for not disposing of the waste properly. They said the stray dogs fed on the waste.

Sources, however, said that at the time of incident, the hospital had only five vials of the vaccine and the rest were purchased from the market by the hospital administration.