The rabies vaccination drive will run from January 29 to February 4, 2025. Last year, more than 7,000 dogs were vaccinated as part of this initiative, an official statement said
Representational Pic/File/iStock
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), in collaboration with Mission Rabies India, will be launching a special 'Rabies Free Thane' campaign to make it a rabies-free city and has set a target of vaccinating 10,000 stray dogs under the campaign, an official statement said on Monday.
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The campaign aims to prevent rabies-related deaths in humans and break the cycle of rabies virus transmission, it said.
The rabies vaccination drive will run from January 29 to February 4, 2025, with the target of vaccinating 10,000 stray dogs across the city.
Last year, more than 7,000 dogs were vaccinated as part of this initiative, the statement said.
The 'Rabies Free Thane' campaign is supported by various organisations including Thane CPCA, Indian Society for Veterinary Animal Protection, Citizens for Animal Protection, VTEAMS, and PAWS Asia and the main focus is to vaccinate stray dogs, as dog bites can lead to rabies infection, which can sometimes result in death, it said.
The state government has set a goal to eliminate rabies-related deaths by 2030, and this vaccination drive is an important step in achieving that target. The Thane Municipal Corporation has been actively working on this campaign, and last year, 7,409 stray dogs were vaccinated against rabies, a press release said.
For this year’s vaccination campaign, 25 teams have been formed, each consisting of one doctor and three staff members. The teams will focus on areas with higher instances of dog bites, as reported by local citizens and animal activists. Dr. Kshama Shirodkar, the Veterinary Officer, mentioned that the teams are prepared to start the vaccination in different wards based on these reports, it said.
The vaccination campaign is a crucial step towards ensuring the health and safety of both the city's residents and its animals, it further said.
A similar campaign was launched by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai last year with an effort to combat the deadly rabies virus transmitted by stray dogs. The BMC had reportedly launched a massive vaccination campaign across Mumbai.
The officials had earlier said that the rabies vaccination campaign starting September 28, 2024, aiming to eradicate the virus from the city.
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