By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The Bhubaneswar Metropolitan Corporation (BMC) celebrated “World Veterinary Day” and organized special mass vaccination camps against rabies.
In an important step towards strengthening public health and animal welfare, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) organized a special mass anti-rabies vaccination camp at nine institutions in the city on the occasion of World Veterinary Day.
Under the ongoing Mass Dog Vaccination (MDV) programme under the guidance of Hon’ble Mayor Smt. Sulochana Das and Commissioner Shri Chanchal Rana, the campaign targeted rabid dogs with the aim of controlling the spread of the deadly but preventable disease Rabies. During the campaign, veterinary doctors from BMC, veterinary interns from Odisha Veterinary College, OUAT were assisted by skilled dog handlers and Paravets. They were deployed at Soldier School, Institute of Physics, Kalinga Stadium, Capital Hospital, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (OUAT), Raj Bhavan, Lok Seva Bhavan, AIIMS Bhubaneswar and Kalinga Nagar (K-8) Resident Welfare Association Society premises. In this programme, rabid dogs residing in institutional and residential premises were vaccinated to ensure smooth and efficient vaccination coverage.
A total of 374 dogs were vaccinated during the camp. Since inception till date, 11642 dogs have been vaccinated under the MDV (Mass Dog Vaccination) program.
Dr. Prashant Kumar Shika, BMC Nodal Officer for MDV Programme, said, “This campaign is part of a broader strategy to achieve at least 70 percent vaccination coverage among the stray dog population, which is considered an important benchmark to break the cycle of rabies transmission. The campaign is aimed at the well-being of both human and animal health.”
