Five-year-old battles rabies in Kerala’s Kannur; jackal attack adds to scare

Stray dog attacks continue to plague Kannur city. On Wednesday, 20 people were bitten in areas around the Thavakkara bus stand, Prabhat Junction, the railway station and the nearby plaza. In the last two days, nearly 80 people have been bitten in the city.
| Photo Credit: SINGARAVELOU T

A five-year-old boy from Tamil Nadu who was bitten by a stray dog in Payyambalam in Kannur, Kerala, on May 31, has been diagnosed with rabies and is in a critical condition on a ventilator at the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital (MCH).

The boy sustained bites on the eye and leg near S.N Park. Although he was vaccinated immediately, doctors said the facial wounds allowed the virus to reach the brain.

The doctors said he was given three dose of vaccination at the Kannur government hospital and later referred to the MCH. Further test results will take time to come, the hospital authorities added.

Family files complaint

The family has filed a formal complaint following the diagnosis.

Stray dog attacks continue to plague Kannur city. On Wednesday, 20 people were bitten in areas around the Thavakkara bus stand, Prabhat Junction, the railway station and the nearby plaza. In the last two days, nearly 80 people have been bitten in the city.

Jackal attack

In another incident on Wednesday, two women in Thottta Keezhunnappapara after being bitten by Indian gold jackal. One of the victims reportedly lost a finger. Both women were initiatially taken to the Kannur District Hospital and later shifted to the Kannur MCH for specialised treatment. The Jackal remains untraced.

Amid growing public concern over repeated stray dog attacks, Kannur district panchayat president K.K. Rathnakumari has called for the establishment of shelter homes as a viable solution.

“Stray dogs cannot be completely eliminated due to existing Claws prohibiting culling. However, shifting them to shelter homes through the Corporation is a feasible alternative,” she said, urging the Kannur Corporation to promptly establish Animal Birth Control centres.

She clarified that the district panchayat’s role is limited to sterilisation through the ABC programme to control the stray dog population.

However, she noted that ABC centres alone cannot fully resolve the issue and stressed the importance of coordination from local bodies. A sterilisation calendar has been prepared, and stray dogs can only be captured if nodal officers at the panchayat level identify and report them.