New rabies case in stray Tbilisi dog, vaccinations follow

The latest case of rabies in stray dogs was reported by the Animals Monitoring Agency of the Tbilisi City Hall on Tuesday, with professionals of the city department launching a local vaccination of animals in the vicinity in addition to their usual vaccination efforts.

Identified on the capital city's Kindzmarauli Street, the agency captured the dog in question following a request by a citizen and reported a confirmed case of rabies, taking the number of cases over the last month to two.

Following laboratory analysis on the dog the case of rabies was confirmed, with the city organisation sharing results on social media.

In a joint effort with the Food Safety Agency, the animal monitoring body also launched a vaccination of animals within a radius of about three kilometres around the location on the street where the stray dog was found. The effort is expected to run for 60 days.

The new case means the number of rabies identified in animals in Tbilisi this year stands at four, the organisation reported while describing their efforts against the virus.

Vakhtang Lomjaria, the head of the agency, said the statistics was similar to previous years but advised citizens to vaccinate their pets. The city organisation provides free vaccinations for thousands of animals annually.