Over 5,000+ Dog-Bite Cases Reported in One Week

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has reported that Pakistan witnessed an alarming 5,641 dog-bite cases in just one week.

Punjab emerged as the most affected region, with 3,264 cases, followed by Sindh with 1,601 reported incidents. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 615 cases, while Balochistan saw 80 instances of dog bites. Additionally, Azad Kashmir reported 75 cases, and Gilgit-Baltistan had six cases.

This surge in dog-bite cases follows a similarly concerning report from last month, which documented 7,957 cases within a single week across Pakistan.

In response to this escalating crisis, the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi has taken a proactive step by launching its own anti-rabies vaccine (ARV), branded DowRab, to address the needs of dog bite victims in Sindh.

According to health reports, approximately one million individuals in Pakistan suffer from dog bites each year, resulting in an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 deaths due to rabies. This highlights the critical need for effective prevention and treatment measures.

The NIH in Islamabad has emphasized the urgent demand for anti-rabies vaccines in the country. Pakistan requires over two million doses of ARV annually, a significant portion of which is currently imported from India. However, the nation is currently facing a severe shortage of ARVs, primarily due to pricing disputes.

The Pakistani government and health authorities are under increasing pressure to address this public health emergency by ensuring an adequate supply of ARVs and implementing comprehensive measures to control the stray dog population. This includes vaccination drives, public awareness campaigns, and community engagement initiatives to mitigate the risk of dog bites and rabies infections.