A seven-month-old baby succumbed to injuries after being mauled by a stray dog in Pakpattan. The incident occurred in Kamiriyan village, where the stray dog managed to enter the house and viciously attacked the infant.
According to initial reports, the infant was with his family inside their home when the dog entered and attacked. The family immediately rushed the severely injured child to the hospital, but despite their efforts, the infant succumbed to his injuries on the way.
Witnesses reported that the dog was later caught and beaten to death by residents in a fit of rage and sorrow over the tragic loss.
This incident highlights a growing problem in Pakistan, where cases of dog bites have been on the rise. The National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed that 5,641 dog bite cases were reported across the country in just one week. Punjab recorded the highest number of cases with 3,264, followed by Sindh with 1,601 cases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 615 cases, Balochistan had 80, Azad Kashmir saw 75 cases, and Gilgit-Baltistan reported 6 cases.
The rising number of dog bites is not a new phenomenon. Last month alone, a staggering 7,957 cases were reported within a single week across Pakistan, indicating a sharp increase in such incidents.
In response to the growing crisis, the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi recently launched its own anti-rabies vaccine (ARV), named DowRab, to address the needs of dog bite victims in Sindh.