Two more people have died of rabies in Hanzhong city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, bringing the rabies death toll in the city since March to 11.

The two fatalities were both women, one aged 58 and the other 56, said a local government official.

The first death was reported on March 21, and number of people injured by dog bites in the city has since reached 6,256.

So far, approximately 335,900 pet dogs have been vaccinated in the city, said the local government official.

The city, with more than 370,000 registered dogs, reported 35 deaths of rabies from 1985 to 1992.

Human deaths indicated the rabies virus was very active, posing a great public health threat, Shi Ruihua, local agricultural bureau chief, said earlier this month.

The city carried out a rabies prevention campaign from May 23 to June 1, implementing door-to-door compulsory vaccinations of dogs and urging dog owners to put their pets on a leash or keep them off the streets.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2009)