At least 11 people, including nine children, were bitten by stray dogs in a village in Larkana on Wednesday, according to information attributed to local officials.

The incident took place in Siddiqueabad village of Larkana. The injured were taken to the Anti-Rabbies Vaccine Centre of Chandka Medical College Hospital where they were provided necessary first aid.

According to local journalists, the villagers said they tried to kill the dogs, but in vain. The dogs also bit buffaloes and goats in nearby fields, causing them injuries.

The dog-bite victims were identified as Arsalan, Irfan, Ayan Ali, Abdullah, Wazir Ali, Junaid, Irshad Ali, Zubair Ali, Sajjad, Fahim, Sabir Ali, Jan Mohammad and Ms Kamala.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho had told the provincial assembly last week that the only practical solution to control stray dog bites was to cull the animals.

She was replying to a point of order raised by Khurram Sher Zaman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on the surge in dog-bite cases across the province.

The health minister said the expanding population of stray dogs could not be controlled through vaccination or sterilisation. It could take 10 years to control the population of stray dogs through vaccination and neutering in the province, she added.

She was of the opinion that stray dogs would still bite even after being vaccinated and sterilised.

Pechuho recommended that deputy commissioners should be asked to arrange culling of stray dogs in their respective districts.

As for the recent deaths of children in parts of the province due to dog bites, she said dog bites on the face and forehead caused a major risk of death as the load of virus rapidly penetrated into the brain.

In March this year, PPP MPA Sharjeel Memon had told the Sindh Assembly that there were 180,000 dog-bite cases in Sindh, adding that the number of such cases was considerably higher in other provinces.