KARACHI: Increase in dog-bite cases alarms experts
KARACHI, Sept 9: Pakistan - a rabies endemic country - with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 dog bite incidents in Karachi alone, is yet to notify serious health conditions associated with the disease, and come forward with an efficient strategy to contain it.
These views were expressed by health experts addressing a seminar held on Thursday at the Dow University of Health Sciences in coordination with the City District Government Karachi.
He regretted that rabies despite being a 100 per cent preventable viral infection - through adequate vaccination - continued to cause considerable loss of human lives, particularly that of children.
The city nazim and chief guest, Naimatullah Khan, on the occasion, however, reminding that vaccines could be an expensive option for a large majority of locals, maintained that the most realistic option could be concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of stray dogs besides vaccinating pet dogs.
He appreciated the initiative taken by the Infectious Diseases Control Society of Pakistan for raising the issue and developing coordination among health care providers.
Naimat said that measures were under way to introduce a law, at least within Karachi, whereby all pet owners would be required to get their pets vaccinated. He also announced establishment of an anti-rabies department at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in the minimum possible time, helping victims from areas such as, Orangi, New Karachi, Nazimabad, Federal B Area, to get the required assistance without delay, which they otherwise face while reaching the Civil Hospital or the JPMC.
With regard to the pye dog eradication programme-cum-rabies elimination scheme of the CDGK, he said that public awareness was a prerequisite, adding that the exercise of stray dog eradication itself was a time consuming activity which also required public support.
"As fertility of the animal (dog) is excessively high, hence time will be required, and we estimate this to take two to three years," said the city nazim. The Vice-Chancellor, DUHS, Prof Masood Hameed Khan, speaking on the occasion mentioned that the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, had stopped further production of sheep brain vaccines for dog bite victims since July this year, and that public sector hospitals were now being provided with tissue culture vaccines and immunoglobulin by the government.
He said, the plea previously adopted regarding sheep brain vaccines to be cost-effective, despite being declared obsolete a couple of years back by WHO, had proven to be based on wrong assumptions.
He added that not only was its efficacy found to be questionable, but the total expenditure incurred per patient came to Rs6,630, as compared to Rs2,685 incurred on procurement of cell line vaccines.
Yet, he reminded that vaccines were an expensive option, since the total expenditure incurred on rabies vaccines - only of patients visiting the Civil Hospital, Karachi - came to over Rs98 million.
Maintaining that this was an expensive choice for departments already facing acute resource constraints, the DUHS VC underscored the need for due consideration towards the preventive aspect, which in the case of rabies happened to be the need to eliminate stray dogs.
Earlier, the Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Dr Ali Raza, Dr Nayar ul Islam, Dr Mohammad Wasay, and Dr Irfan made their respective presentations on the subject. A documentary film highlighting the horrendous nature of the health problem rabies and its incidence in the city was also screened on the occasion. - APP
