Two more people have died of rabies after being treated at Karachi hospitals, pushing the city’s reported death toll this year to five.
The latest fatalities include an elderly man from Lyari and a young girl from Mirpurkhas. In both cases, officials said post-bite vaccination was not taken.
Jinnah Hospital officials identified the man as Nemat Gul, a resident of Lyari. He was reportedly bitten by a dog around three months ago, but his family said he did not receive medical care or anti-rabies shots after the incident.
He later developed classic rabies symptoms, including severe hydrophobia (fear of water), restlessness, breathing difficulty, and throat spasms. He was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where he died last night.
In the second case, a girl from Mirpurkhas was brought to Indus Hospital, Korangi, after her condition worsened. Aftab Gohar, manager of the hospital’s Rabies Prevention Clinic, said the child was bitten on the face roughly two months ago and did not receive immediate treatment or vaccination.
Officials said she began showing symptoms about four days ago, including fever, irritability, severe hydrophobia, and fear of air (aerophobia). She was shifted to the hospital in critical condition but could not be saved.
Officials said Karachi hospitals have now handled five confirmed rabies deaths. Of these, two victims were from Karachi, two from interior Sindh, and one from Balochistan. Two cases were reported at Jinnah Hospital, while three were treated at Indus Hospital.
Dr. Irfan Siddique, deputy in-charge of Jinnah Hospital’s emergency department, said dog-bite incidents in Karachi have risen compared to last year and increased further during Ramadan by about five percent.
He warned that the growing number of stray dogs has become a serious public health concern, adding that people leaving home for Fajr prayers are among those being attacked.
According to Dr. Siddique, Jinnah Hospital receives around 40 new dog-bite cases daily, while another 40 to 50 patients arrive for follow-up visits.
He stressed that once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal. “At that stage, treatment is limited to supportive care to reduce suffering,” he said, noting patients are typically kept in quiet, low-light wards.
Health experts say immediate action after a bite can prevent rabies. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises washing the wound with running water and soap for at least 15 minutes. After that, anti-rabies vaccination should be started as soon as possible, typically within two to three days.
Medical teams also assess the severity of wounds and may prescribe antibiotics or administer rabies immunoglobulin in higher-risk cases.
