JEDDAH: Emergency departments at government hospitals received more than 25,596 patients who were bitten by dogs over the past two years.

This comes at a time when the World Health Organization announced a five-year plan that aims to reduce the number of deaths resulting from dog bites or attacks.

Most patients received at the Kingdom’s hospitals enjoy or are involved in training dogs, and injuries include bites to different body parts. Many rushed to hospitals for quick treatment to avoid being infected with rabies.

Statistics indicate that of the number of people injured by animal attacks in the Kingdom, snakes and scorpions still lead, and are ahead of dogs, with more than 61,000 cases.

Dr. Nazar Bahambri, an infectious diseases consultant, warns about the danger stray dogs pose to areas of big cities, including neighborhoods in southern Jeddah. He said these dogs present a threat to the population as they may carry rabies, which is transmitted by the saliva of infected animals through bites to the body.

He said rabies most often leads to death due to a serious bacterial attack to the central nervous system. Rabies, he said, comes not only from dogs, but also other animals such as rats. People are vaccinating their dogs to ensure they are not carriers of the disease.

Symptoms include fever, weakness, headaches, hyper behavior, clouded thoughts, difficulty swallowing, increase in the secretion of saliva, insomnia, temporary paralysis, and potential death. Injured patients are given vaccines in order to prevent the spread of toxins, but only few people fully recover after getting infected.

He called on dog and cat owners to ensure pets are vaccinated and under the medical supervisor of a vet. People are advised to stay away from stray dogs and notify the municipality of any strays they may encounter.