Six rabies deaths in Karachi, over 8,000 cases reported

Karachi: At least six people have died of rabies in Karachi and other parts of the province due to the lack of government efforts to control the dog population, and more than 8,000 cases of dog bites have been reported in three hospitals in Karachi alone so far this year.

According to a media report, the information received from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), and Indus Hospital stated more than 8,000 cases of dog bites have been reported in three major medical centers so far this year.

JPMC and Indus Hospital have recorded three deaths each from rabies this year, but none at the Civil Hospital. The latest rabies death occurred at Indus Hospital, where a person died on Tuesday.

Aftab Gohar, Manager of the Rabies Prevention and Training Center at Indus Hospital, said that the 40-year-old patient was bitten by a stray dog ​​in his village in Pano Aqil two weeks ago and was brought to the hospital two days ago.

He said that the patient had not gone to any hospital for treatment and two days ago he showed symptoms of hydrophobia, aerophobia, and mental imbalance. He was admitted for treatment but died on Tuesday.

According to Aftab Gohar, the number of dog bite patients in the hospital is increasing rapidly and 150 cases are coming up daily, including 70 to 80 old cases.

He said, “We are also seeing a rapid increase in unprovoked biting incidents, which is worrying”.

This year, more than 3,000 dog bite patients have been treated at the hospital, while last year, Indus Hospital treated more than 15,000 dog bite cases, in which 8 rabies patients died.

Doctors at Civil Hospital Karachi supported the opinion regarding the increase in dog bite incidents and said that more than 3,000 cases have been reported at the hospital this year.

A doctor further said, ‘90 percent of the patients are from Karachi, and most of them were brought with deep wounds, which required immediate use of life-saving Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) along with the vaccine’.

He stated that last year, more than 16,000 dog bite patients were treated at the Civil Hospital.

It is also reported that 2,400 dog bite cases have been reported this year.

Experts believe that the continuous increase in dog bite incidents is directly related to the growing dog population in the city, which can only be controlled through mass vaccination and sterilization of dogs.

They also emphasize the establishment of specialized centers at the district level for the treatment of dog bite wounds as rabies is fatal in 100 percent of cases.

Deaths due to infection can be prevented through immediate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) by preventing the virus from reaching the central nervous system.

Rabies can be completely prevented if the wound caused by a dog bite is immediately washed thoroughly with soap and running water and then an effective anti-rabies vaccine series and RIG injection are administered to each wound.

A study authored by Dr Naseem Salahuddin identified a gap in clinical and public health practices where the treatment of rabies after a dog bite is grossly inadequate.

The statement urged the government to improve infrastructure and supply chains to procure and maintain vaccine availability, train staff in dog bite treatment, and adopt a health strategy by vaccinating dogs and reducing their population through humane methods.