Town placed under quarantine after stray dog bites a person

In a statement issued by the Niğde Governor's Office, it was stated: "H.Ş., who was bitten by a stray dog in Cumhuriyet Neighborhood of Kemerhisar town in Bor district, applied to Bor State Hospital for treatment due to the risk of rabies.

Our citizen's treatment for potential rabies is ongoing at the hospital; while their health condition is good, they are being kept under observation. 

Following the death of the dog in question in Kemerhisar's Cumhuriyet Neighborhood, the District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry was notified. Subsequently, a head sample was sent by the attending veterinarian to the Konya Veterinary Control Institute on 19.06.2024 for rabies examination. The dog's carcass was disinfected and buried under the supervision of an official veterinarian," the statement said.

The statement, which noted that the Animal Health Police Commission had taken a series of decisions in accordance with the Regulation on Protection Against Rabies and Combating Rabies to prevent the spread of the potential disease during the examination period, included the following:

"It has been decided unanimously to declare the Cumhuriyet Neighborhood of Kemerhisar town in our district a 'rabies-suspected zone'; for stray or wandering animals to be collected from Cumhuriyet Neighborhood by the Kemerhisar Municipality and transferred to animal shelters; for stray animals to be vaccinated immediately; for the rabies-suspected Cumhuriyet Neighborhood of Kemerhisar to be placed under quarantine; for all animal entry and exit to the Cumhuriyet Neighborhood of Kemerhisar town to be prohibited; for audible warnings to be issued in the rabies-suspected zone and for animals to be prohibited from roaming freely; for legible and durable signs reading 'Rabies-Suspected Zone' to be placed on roads leading to the suspected zone and in appropriate locations within the area; for the municipality, the neighborhood headman (muhtar), and animal owners to keep animals suspected of having the disease under control in an enclosed area so they do not come into contact with other animals or humans; for unexplained deaths, as well as any contact between wild animals and domestic animals, to be immediately reported to the District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry; for dead animals to be disposed of by the municipality with the permission and under the supervision of an official veterinarian; for administrative fines to be imposed on those who do not comply with the measures taken by the ministry to prevent the spread of diseases in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 36 of the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law No. 5996; for animal owners and family members who have been in contact with the animal suspected of having the disease to be monitored by the District Health Directorate and informed about ways to protect against rabies; and for action to be taken in accordance with Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed, the provisions of the Regulation on Protection Against Rabies and Combating Rabies prepared based on this law, the 2024 General Circular on Combating Animal Diseases and Controlling Animal Movements issued by the General Directorate of Food and Control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and other relevant legislation in cases where this commission decision does not contain a provision."

All citizens throughout the province were warned to comply with these decisions with sensitivity.