Kathmandu, August 23:

In a bid to preven the outbreak of rabies in the capital city, an alliance of different organisations is planning to vaccinate 10,000 stray dogs in the capital within a year.

Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, Public Health and Social Welfare Department (PHSWD) of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, National Zoonosis Food Hygiene and Research Centre and Veterinary Public Health Office have forged an alliance to control rabies, which accounts for 200 deaths in the country every year. The programmes will be launched next month.

There are 20,500 stray dogs in Ring Road area of the Kathmandu Valley, according to a survey conducted by KAT Centre. The increasing population of unvaccinated dogs in the capital city is leading to the increase of rabies threat.

Lat Narayan Shah, deputy programme manager, Rabies Control programme under the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), said the division was vaccintating 5,000 to 6,000 people in the capital against rabies annually.

Chief of the PHSWD Dr Babu Ram Neupane said the alliance was preparing for a mass vaccination of stray dogs.

The KAT Centre has launched Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Under this programme, bitches are sterilised and vaccinated to prevent rabies outbreaks. According to the KAT Centre, at least seven dogs are being sterilised and vaccinated against rabies every day.