GCC to launch mass vaccination drive for stray dogs from July
Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will launch a mass vaccination drive from July targeting the city's estimated 1.8 lakh stray dogs. The campaign will go beyond the routine rabies shot and cover four other diseases — canine distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus, and leptospirosis.GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said the civic body is awaiting delivery of 20,000 doses of a multi-disease vaccine from Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation.
Priced at around 200 per dose, the vaccine offers protection against all five diseases."This will be the second time we are administering non-rabies vaccines to stray dogs," said GCC veterinary officer Kamal Hussain. The vaccination will be administered alongside annual rabies shots and sterilisation procedures."Parvovirus and distemper are especially common and deadly among strays, with a 90% fatality rate if not treated early," said veterinary doctor R Thangarajan.To support the expanded vaccination drive, GCC has established two new animal birth control (ABC) centres — one at Kallikuppam in Ambattur and another at Otteri burial ground in Kodambakkam.
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