ISLAMABAD: In a concerning development, 5,641 dog-bite cases have been reported across Pakistan in just one week according to a source from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
According to the NIH sources, Punjab topped the list with 3,264 cases, followed by Sindh with 1,601 cases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 615 cases, while Balochistan saw 80 cases. Additionally, 75 cases were reported in Azad Kashmir and 6 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
This alarming figure follows last month’s report of a shocking increase in dog bite incidents, with 7,957 cases recorded in a single week across Pakistan.
In a significant development to address the crisis, the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi has launched its own anti-rabies vaccine (ARV), named DowRab, specifically for dog bite victims in Sindh.
Reports indicate that around one million individuals in Pakistan are bitten by stray dogs every year, resulting in an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 deaths from rabies. This public health issue underscores the urgent need for effective vaccination and control measures.
The NIH in Islamabad states that Pakistan requires over 2 million doses of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) annually, with a significant portion currently imported from India. However, Pakistan is currently grappling with a critical shortage of ARV due to pricing disputes, further complicating the country’s response to the surge in dog-bite cases.
This shortage poses a serious challenge to managing and preventing rabies, a fatal disease if not promptly treated. The introduction of DowRab by DUHS is a positive step towards mitigating the vaccine shortage, but the escalating number of dog-bite cases highlights the need for comprehensive and sustained efforts to address the stray dog population and ensure the availability of vaccines nationwide.
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