Ludhiana, Dec. 27 -- Even as the city continues to battle a strong menace of dog bites, fear of rabies has pushed residents to seek anti-rabies vaccination even in rare cases of bites by lizards and pigeons, animals that do not transmit the rabies virus, senior medical officer of civil hospital has said.

According to data from the civil hospital, one case of pigeon bite and two cases of lizard bite were reported this year. Rabies is a viral disease transmitted only through mammals, but heightened awareness and fear of the infection have driven people to opt for vaccination even after bites from birds or reptiles.

"We have to cater to the patient. Some patients are just paranoid. Rabies, once symptoms appear, is 100 % fatal. Increased aw...