Dog Bites Emerge as Bihar’s Biggest Health Threat: Economic Survey

Brief By Newsbrief / 2:05 PM on 03 Feb 2026

Bihar’s Economic Survey 2025–26 has raised serious public health concerns by identifying dog bites as the most widespread health issue in the state. The report shows that 2,83,274 people were bitten by dogs in 2024–25, a sharp rise of nearly 39,000 cases compared to the previous year. This translates to an alarming daily average of 776 victims.

Patna has emerged as the worst-affected district, reporting 29,280 cases, followed by East Champaran and Nalanda. The surge highlights the growing menace of stray dogs in urban and semi-urban areas and points to gaps in municipal management, sterilisation, and vaccination programmes.

Health experts warn that unchecked dog bite cases significantly increase the risk of rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. The findings have put pressure on the state government and urban local bodies to strengthen animal control measures, expand anti-rabies vaccination, and improve public awareness to prevent a looming health crisis.