Over 200 Dogs Found Dead In 3 Days In Bengal Town; Doctors Fear Parvovirus Outbreak

In the Bishnupur town of West Bengal, over 200 stray dogs, majority of them pups have been found dead, triggering panic among the locals, informed officials. According to the data provided by the Bishnupur municipality, 60 dogs were reported dead on Tuesday, while on Wednesday and Thursday, 97 and 45 dogs were found dead respectively.

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Why are the dogs dying?

Veterinary doctors have said that the deaths were possibly due to canine parvovirus 每 a highly contagious disease that spreads from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. The virus -- that generally affects dogs during this time of the year 每 has also led to multiple canine deaths across the state, including Kolkata, but nowhere else, has the numbers been so alarming.

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Can it spread to humans?

The doctors however assured that disease doesn＊t get passed on to humans and is limited to dogs. ※Canine parvovirus is common during this time of the year when the weather fluctuation is at its peak,§ said Mrinal Kanti Dey, a senior doctor at the hospital.

What are the identified symptoms?

Almost all the dogs had similar symptoms of severe diarrhoea, vomiting and coughing blood, locals said. Bishnupur's civic body chief Divyendu Bandyopadhyay said the matter has been informed to the district authorities. Samples have been collected from the dead dogs and sent to Kolkata for testing, officials said.

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"From Saturday, large scale announcements would be made across the town, to make people aware of the disease and to drive out this air of panic among the residents,§ said Dibyendu Banerjee, the chairman of the Bishnupur municipality.

The carcasses are being buried at the dumping ground by the Bishnupur Municipality, officials said.