Several civic bodies across the State have come forward to begin the vaccination drive for stray dogs ahead of the planned start to the mass vaccination campaign on September 20, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh said on Wednesday.
A few have already started the campaign. The Kollam Corporation will begin the campaign on September 16 and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on September 18. Mr. Rajesh will be participating in the campaign in Kollam on Friday.
The Guruvayur municipality will begin vaccination on Thursday. In addition, the local bodies are also carrying out vaccination for pet dogs.
Civic body administrations across the State will hold meetings between September 15 and 20 to chalk out local-level action plans and to discuss project amendments for the purpose. MLAs will hold meetings of people's representatives and leaders of all political parties.
Efforts are also on to open Animal Birth Control (ABC) sterilisation centres in all blocks. In the first phase, one such centre will be opened for two block panchayats each.
The ABC centres which have been setup will be opened immediately. The volunteer force, which was formed in the aftermath of floods and COVID-19 outbreak, will be reactivated for the vaccination drive as dog catchers.
The Kudumbashree has also started making a headcount of its volunteers who are ready to take up the work. The Veterinary University will provide training to the volunteers. The services of the post-graduate students and final year students of the University will be used for the ABC programme.
Hotspots are being identified at the local level based on the recent incidents of dog bites. The ABC programme will be held intensively in these areas. The local bodies are also setting up more shelters as part of the programme, said Mr. Rajesh.
