Over 480 people received hospital treatment for a dog bite in Greater Manchester THIS YEAR

Hundreds of people were treated in Greater Manchester hospitals for injuries caused by dog attacks in the last year, new figures have revealed, with serious incidents and fatalities also on the rise across the country.

Figures from the NHS show that hospital consultants in our region performed an estimated 485 treatments on people who had been bitten or struck by a dog between April 2022 and March 2023.

The figure refers to finished consultant episodes - a term used to record a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.

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While that was a dip from around 495 episodes the year before, it was a big increase compared to a decade earlier, with around 385 episodes in 2012/13.

It mirrors a worrying national trend of rising incidents, with terrifying dog attack videos going viral on social media, and a spate of high-profile fatalities making headlines in recent months.

You can see where recent fatal attacks took place using our interactive map:

Separate nationwide figures show that across England, there were 9,277 hospital admissions where the patient had been bitten or struck by a dog in 2022/23.

That was up from 8,819 the year before, and a record high, with the number increasing steadily since at least 1998 when figures began.

Meanwhile, a small number of people tragically die from dog attacks every year - and there has been a recent spike in fatalities.

In the last 20 years or so, the number of fatal dog bites has averaged at about three per year. However, in 2022 there were ten fatalities, and there have been eight so far this year.

Much of the