JAMMU, Nov 10 (Agencies): Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a surge in monkey attacks on civilians and around 20-25 cases have been received in the hospital in the last five to six months, a medical official said on Sunday.
There has been a surge in the cases in the Jaganoo block of the district.
Speaking to agency, Dr Rooplai Gupta, Medical Officer at Public Health Centre Jaganoo said that people and staff of the hospital are scared to venture out alone in the area, as monkeys attack them from behind.
“In the last 5-6 months, we have received 20-25 cases, we provide them full treatment, at our capacity. If the case becomes severe, we refer the patient to GMC Udhampur. People are scared, even staff are also scared to go out. It is very difficult to venture out alone, as they attack from behind. We want monkeys to be removed from this area by the concerned department,” she said.
Sanjeet Sharma, Former Block Development Chairman and a school owner said that this monkey menace is a challenging issue for Jaganoo as the cases of monkey bites are increasing day by day.
He said, ” The monkey menace is a big issue in Jaganoo…the monkey bite cases are increasing day by day…I run a school and protecting children (from monkey bites) is a big challenge. They (Monkeys) take away the tiffins of children and also bite them…”
A monkey bite can cause serious injuries and can transmit several diseases, including rabies, herpes B virus, and infections.