Manipal: Vaccinating dogs, a dog walk and messages on rabies marked the World Rabies Day program organized on Sunday in Manipal by the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal in collaboration with Rotary club Udupi Manipal, Department of Public health, Manipal University and Lions club, Manipal.
A number of activities were held on the day specially meant to create awareness of rabies among the public. Dr Prashanth Shetty with his team vaccinated 30 dogs at Manchi and Indira Nagar. At Dr Girija, member of Rotary Club Udupi Manipal and Dr Veena Kamath, Professor, Department of Community Medicine spoke about the significance of this day and prevention of rabies. This was followed by a dog walk from Tiger Circle. A large number of people participated in the walk. Eight enthusiastic dog and cat owners also came with their pets to take part in the walk. The Dog Walk was first of its kind in Manipal.
This was followed by an awareness session carried out in a few villages in and around Manipal with announcements on the cause and prevention of rabies and distribution of the pamphlets by Ashok and Asha from Department Of Community Medicine. Several people voluntarily sponsored the vaccination of stray dogs by donating Rs 500-1000/- each to Captain Animal care trust. Overall, the response in creating awareness by this unique method proved successful.
