Rabies is increasingly becoming a new source of fear in Bangladesh. From the capital to rural areas, people are falling victim to attacks by dogs and cats.
In some places there is a shortage of vaccines, in others delays in treatment, and elsewhere sheer mismanagement. The recent deaths of five people from rabies in Gaibandha have made the severity of this crisis even more apparent.
Every day, more than a thousand people crowd into the Infectious Disease Hospital to receive vaccines. Yet since 2022, the vaccination program for stray dogs has remained suspended, and birth-control measures have also stagnated.
Rabies is a disease whose symptoms, once manifested, almost inevitably lead to death. According to the World Health Organization, around 59,000 people worldwide die from rabies every year, most of them among poor populations in Asia and Africa.
Bangladesh is also among these high-risk regions. Therefore, there is no room to neglect this crisis. But is the solution simply to kill dogs? Certainly not. On the contrary, that could lead to an even more horrifying and inhumane social tendency.
We are already witnessing demands in some places for the extermination of stray dogs under the pretext of “fear of rabies.” Yet experts have long maintained that dog sterilization and regular vaccination are the effective ways to control rabies.
Various countries around the world have successfully implemented the “Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release” method — capturing dogs, sterilizing and vaccinating them, and then returning them to their areas. This keeps the dog population under control and also reduces the risk of rabies.
The World Health Organization has stated that rabies can be effectively controlled if at least 70 percent of dogs are brought under vaccination coverage. Therefore, it is the government’s responsibility to restart the suspended vaccination programs and effectively implement nationwide birth-control initiatives.
Alongside this, responsible pet management is also essential. Many people in Bangladesh now keep dogs and cats, yet in most cases there is no mandatory vaccination system. In many European and developed countries, strict regulations govern pet ownership.
Germany has a “dog tax,” while in Singapore licenses and microchips are mandatory. In many countries, people cannot keep pets without proof of rabies vaccination. The European Union has also recently moved toward stricter laws and regulations to prevent cruelty toward animals.
This is because they understand that a society is not civilized merely by its skyscrapers or economic growth. It is also judged by how it treats weak and voiceless creatures.
This is a truth we too must realize. If we dream of becoming a developed nation, then metro rails, flyovers, or technological progress alone will not suffice — our social conscience must also advance.
A society that sees dogs only through the lens of fear or hatred, and that considers killing the easiest solution to problems, cannot truly be called modern. It should also be remembered that most stray animals are themselves the result of human negligence.
Humans create unhealthy urban environments by discarding food waste, and then later label the animals born in those environments as “nuisances.” Therefore, it is not just to place the blame solely on animals.
Bangladesh’s High Court had previously taken a stance against the killing of dogs. This is not merely a legal matter; it is also a question of morality.
If we fail to solve problems through humane methods and instead permit indiscriminate killing of animals to appease public anger, that will amount to a regression of civilization itself. Rabies is certainly terrifying; but legitimizing cruelty in the name of fear is even more terrifying.
What we need are science-based public health policies, responsible civic behavior, and a compassionate attitude toward animals as well.