India is facing an alarming public health challenge as dog bite cases surge to record levels. In 2024 alone, the country recorded approximately 37.17 lakh incidents, averaging more than 10,000 dog bites every single day. Health experts warn that the situation is spiraling into a nationwide crisis, with rising rabies risks, inadequate control measures, and underreported fatalities.
From Decline to Surge
Dog bite incidents had shown a sharp decline during the COVID-19 years — from 75.7 lakh in 2018 to just 17 lakh in 2021. However, the numbers have rebounded strongly, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and creating renewed concerns about public safety and disease control.
Rabies Deaths: The Hidden Toll
While official records claim only 21 rabies deaths in 2022, global health estimates suggest the actual toll is much higher, possibly in the thousands annually. India is believed to account for more than one-third of the world’s rabies fatalities, with children among the most vulnerable. Rabies remains 100% fatal once symptoms appear but is completely preventable with timely medical intervention.
States and Cities Under Pressure
- Maharashtra leads with 13.5 lakh cases between 2022 and 2024, followed by Tamil Nadu with 12.9 lakh and Gujarat with 8.4 lakh.
- Uttar Pradesh has the highest stray dog population at 20.6 lakh, followed by Odisha (17.3 lakh), Maharashtra and Rajasthan (12.8 lakh each), and Karnataka (11.4 lakh).
- Delhi reported 68,090 dog bite cases in 2024, with tens of thousands more in the first half of 2025 alone.
- Karnataka has emerged as a hotspot with 3.6 lakh cases and 42 rabies deaths in 2024.
In rapidly growing urban areas like Delhi-NCR, the lack of adequate shelter infrastructure worsens the crisis. For instance, Gurgaon has an estimated 50,000 stray dogs but only two small operational shelters.
Sterilisation and Vaccination Efforts
Municipal bodies across India are intensifying sterilisation and vaccination drives. Delhi aims to sterilise and vaccinate nearly 98,000 stray dogs by the end of 2025, improving on previous years’ figures. Uttar Pradesh has also ramped up operations, sterilising and vaccinating hundreds of thousands of dogs in the past two years.
However, many regions still face gaps in execution. Experts point out that sterilisation efforts alone cannot curb the rising bite numbers without simultaneous expansion of vaccination coverage and robust public awareness campaigns.
Treatment Gaps and Public Awareness
Even when vaccines are available, many victims fail to complete the full post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regimen, increasing the risk of rabies infection. Public health officials stress the importance of immediate wound cleaning and completing all recommended doses after any animal bite.
Innovations in treatment, such as lab-grown rabies monoclonal antibodies (RmAb), are showing promise as safer and more affordable alternatives to traditional rabies immunoglobulins, potentially improving access to lifesaving care.
Government Targets and Challenges
India has pledged to eliminate rabies by 2030 in line with global health goals. Achieving this target will require not just medical advancements but also strict enforcement of animal birth control rules, expansion of shelter capacity, faster response to stray dog complaints, and nationwide education campaigns.
Without urgent, coordinated action, the combination of a vast stray dog population, insufficient vaccination coverage, and underreported fatalities could keep rabies as a persistent threat for years to come.