Shock at dog bite stats

Around 200,000 people in Beijing a year are attacked by dogs and cats, and three have died this year so far because of rabies, the municipal health authority said yesterday.

"It's shocking," said Ma Yanming, deputy publicity director of Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

"The statistics are from the city's 113 rabies immunization clinics," he said.

The most recent case of rabies causing death was reported by health authorities on April 12 in Shunyi district. A 43-year-old man was bitten by a stray dog and died of rabies. He did not take any rabies shots after the attack.　

"Rabies is usually why people die from animal bites. It happens in rural areas more because the residents don't know the urgency of getting vaccinated after being bitten, and also many dogs there are unregistered," said Ma.

According to statistics from Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture (BMBA) last September, just 950,000 dogs are registered in Beijing, despite estimates of there being at least 1 million unregistered dogs.

This means that with so many unvaccinated dogs, it is hard to keep the city safe from rabies. To prevent outbreaks, at least 70 percent of dogs in an area need to be vaccinated, said Zhao Genwu, director of BMBA in a government work report last year.　

Beijing residents can call for rabies immunization information through a 24-hour public health service hotline.

Yesterday, a hotline operator who declined to be named, said there are more calls concerning animal scratches and bites in the summer. The five post-bite vaccination shots imported from overseas cost about 400 yuan ($63), while domestically produced ones cost about half.　

According to the Beijing News report yesterday, Beijing Municipal People's Congress is planning to revise the regulations for dog keeping issued in 2003, including imposing free dog vaccinations, and involving property management companies in inspections and dog registration, in addition to police.

The most recent revisions to dog management rules were enforced in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, prohibiting people from owning large, dangerous dogs since April 1. This includes breeds such as German Shepherds and Tibetan Mastiffs. However, many dog owners have questioned the rule for infringing their rights.　

In January, a Tibetan Mastiff attacked and wounded nine people in Chaoyang district.

On Sunday night, a 5-year-old child in Shanghai was bitten by a Tibetan Mastiff, sustaining serious facial wounds, reported Xinmin News yesterday.