At least 27 people received treatment at Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) after being bitten by dogs in different parts of the capital yesterday.
Hospital sources said they were bitten in Lalbagh, Doyel Chattar, Golapshah Mazar, Motijheel and Buet campus areas.
Sources at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) said 11 people took first aid at the hospital after being bitten by dogs. They were later referred to the IDH at Mohakhali for rabies treatment.
Of the 27 people, Abdul Kuddus, 80, and Abdul Latif, 65, were bitten by dogs at Lalbagh while Sumon, 30, Samir, 6, Zannath, 5, Jaynal Abedin, 25, Shohidul 9, Russel 18 and Saidul Hossain, 25, near Golapshah Mazar.
Mostak Hossain, father of Saidul, said, “My son was bitten by a dog near Golapshah Mazar at about 12:30pm. The same dog also bit several passers-by in the area.”
A dog bit Mohammad Hossain, 25, in Doyel Chattar area.
Advocate Abdul Al Mamun, who took Hossain to DMCH, said he saw a dog bite five to six passers-by including women and children in Doyel Chattar area.
The dog bit off a piece of muscle from Hossain’s leg, he said, adding that a group of people later killed the dog around noon.
Dilara Akhtar, a doctor of IDH, said it is rare that 27 people should suffer dog bites in a small area.
“Most of the injuries are severe in nature and it appears that they were bitten by the same dog,” she said.
“It is necessary to wash the wound as soon as possible with laundry soap and water for about 20 minutes to reduce the chance of rabies infection,” Dilara said.
It is also necessary to take full course of vaccine after the bite, she added.
At least 86 people came to the hospital with dog bite injuries yesterday from different parts of the country including Gazipur, Kaliakoir and Savar, IDH sources said.
According to statistics of IDH, around 17,000 people took treatment for dog bites at the hospital since January this year
-WIth The Daily Star input
