KARACHI: ‘Up to 40 dog-bite victims arrive in hospitals daily’
KARACHI, Oct 7: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Karachi chapter, has expressing its concern over the increasing number of dog-bite cases, and apprehended that the number might go up in future as the city government had miserably failed to check the growth of stray dogs in the city.
Citing the most recent incident in which 10 people in Korangi fell victim to a rabid dog, Secretary-General of PMA, Karachi, Dr Qaiser Sajjad on Sunday criticised the city government for having failed to take proper steps to check the growth of stray dogs.
He said herds of stray dogs could be seen in every street of the city, especially those in katchi abadis and slums. He said that before the Korangi incident, some one dozen people were bitten by the same rabid dog and rushed to the JPMC last week. He said only a few such cases were reported to the press.
Dr Sajjad said that at present some 30-40 dog-bite cases were being reported to major hospitals of the city every day. “A large number of such cases are reported at small private clinics, locality-based health providers and quakes, whereas poor people mostly treat such a victim at home as they could not afford the transportation and medical expenses.”
He recalled that in 1960s, the then city administration had completely eliminated stray dogs in its jurisdiction. He warned that rabies, a very serious and lethal disease, could lead to its victim’s death if he was not provided proper medical treatment. “There is no cure to rabies,” he added.
Dr Sajjad noted that stray dogs mostly bite children and in most cases, children would fall victim to a stray dog while they were on their way to school, home or playground.
These days, people returning home in late hours after Eid shopping were vulnerable to stray dogs.
“The menace could not be overcome unless an aggressive campaign is carried out by the city government,” he said.
Lack of treatment facilities
The PMA leader regretted that only three government hospitals — the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and the Abbassi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) — had the anti-rabies vaccine and the relevant treatment facilities. He pointed out that even these hospitals did not have a round the clock service for the rabies treatment. Rather, the facility was available only in some morning hours.
He was of the view that all government hospitals and dispensaries in the city should have the rabies treatment facility free of cost.
He suggested that the CDGK should arrange free of cost anti-rabies vaccine and treatment at towns level.
The doctor noted that in Pakistan, the rabid-dog victims were still being administered the old “sheep vaccine” although the other countries in the world had already switched over to the latest “tissue/cell vaccine”, because it was less painful and more effective.
He urged the federal health ministry to take steps for the production of the new vaccine locally so that its cost could be brought down to the poor people’s affordability.—PPI
