THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation plans to set up a modern rabies diagnostic laboratory as part of the efforts to kick-start the flagging anti-rabies campaign and Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. The decision was taken on Tuesday at the first meeting of the expert committee set up by the local body to get the campaign off the ground.

Four veterinary hospitals in the city will be equipped to sterilize stray dogs under the ABC programme. These include the three hospitals at Pettah, Kadakampally and Thiruvallam and the SPCA hospital.

Health circles have been issued instructions to make licensing of pet dogs and cats mandatory and get them vaccinated. The licensed pets will be issued badges and health cards. There are an estimated 30,000 pet dogs in the city.

The Mayor, J. Chandra, said the proposed rabies diagnostic lab would use the modern fluorescent antibody technique. The project is estimated to cost Rs.15 lakhs.

Heath Department officials who attended the meeting said 150 dog bite cases were reported daily at the anti-rabies clinic attached to General Hospital. "In the absence of a rabies diagnostic facility, we administer anti-rabies serum or vaccine to all the victims, irrespective of whether they were bitten by a rabid dog or an aggressive animal without the disease. At Rs.15,000 per vial of serum, the cost works out to an amount that is unaffordable for many people. The rabies diagnostic facility will help to identify the victim of a rabid dog bite, thereby eliminating the need for costly treatment," an official said.

Keyhole surgery

The senior vet surgeon Ravikumar said a preliminary survey had revealed a stray dog population of about 7,000 in the city. The ABC programme seeks to sterilize the animals through a simple surgical process. Trained dog capture teams will be pressed into service to bring the stray animals to the hospital in specially equipped vehicles. A team of 15 vet surgeons is being trained in keyhole surgery, which will help to cut down the time required for the procedure and bypass the need for post-operative care.

The ABC programme primarily focuses on sterilization of female dogs, which dominate the stray population. The animals can be discharged in three days after being administered an intramuscular long-acting antibiotic injection. Sterilized dogs will be tagged to avoid recapture.

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