Thiruvananthapuram: The College of Engineering Trivandrum, popularly known as CET, has shut its gates on account of the rampant stray dog attacks in the locality.
A dog-catching bid is now on here soon after the authorities resorted to the drastic move on Monday. It is suspected that one of the stray dogs has rabies.
More than 5,000 students attend classes on the CET campus.
Students allege that despite their repeated complaints about the stray dog menace, no action was taken by officials.
The stray dog menace in Kerala has been making headlines for a greater part of 2022. Over 20 people have died after being bitten by rabid dogs in the last six months.
Count of rabid dogs spurts
The number of dogs infected with the deadly rabies virus has almost doubled in the last five years, test reports of the Kerala Animal Husbandry department have revealed.
Out of the 300 samples collected from pet dogs and dead ones, as many as 168 cases turned positive for the disease.
In 2016, this was 48 against 150 samples collected.
The cases of the virus in other animals, including cats, also doubled during the last five years.
A chief reason for the substantial rise in rabies cases is the stoppage of vaccinations.
The shocking fact came to light when an inquiry was made into the reasons for the death of 20 persons due to rabies a few months ago.
The immunity against canine rabies could be possible only if the dogs are vaccinated and the booster doses are given at regular intervals.
The negligence in timely rabies vaccination has resulted in the spread of diseases among pet animals.
