Ahmedabad, Aug 21 (IANS): Gujarat has emerged as one of the states with the highest number of reported dog bite incidents in the country during the previous year, as per Minister of State for Health Prof Satya Pal Singh Baghel.

The Minister was replying to a query during the last monsoon session of Parliament.

Garnering attention for its alarming figures, the state secured the fifth position nationally, with a staggering 1,69,261 documented cases of dog bites.

As many as 1.69 lakh people were bitten by stray dogs in 2022, says the data.

On an average, 19 people were bitten every hour.

According to the minister, in 2022, Maharashtra reported 45 dog bites per hour, followed by Tamil Nadu -- 42, Andhra Pradesh -- 22, Uttar Pradesh -- 22, Gujarat -- 19, Karnataka -- 19, and Bihar -- 16.

This equates to an average of 464 attacks per day and 19 bites per hour.

Despite the unsettling numbers, there is a notable trend of declining dog bite incidents over the years. The statistics show a decline from 4.31 lakh cases in 2020 to 1.92 lakh in 2021, further dwindling to 1.69 lakh in 2022.

A striking contrast emerges within the data, particularly concerning Ahmedabad.

While the state's overall figures exhibit a reduction in dog bite cases, Ahmedabad paints a different picture. Official records from the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) reveal a stark increase, registering over 58,000 dog bite incidents in 2022.

This figure exceeds the 51,000 cases reported in 2021 by approximately 7,500 cases.