KARACHI (Kashmir English): Karachi saw a total 19 lives lost in dog bite incidents, while at least 29,000 dog bite cases were reported in the metropolis so far in 2025.
Areas including Landhi, Mehmoodabad, Orangi Town, Korangi, DHA, and Malir witnessed a surge in stray dog population with residents complaining that attacks have become routine, forcing them to live in constant fear.
Medical experts warn that rabies, once symptoms appear, is incurable. Early signs include headaches and anxiety, but as the disease progresses, patients develop hydrophobia (fear of water) and aerophobia (fear of air and sound). At this stage, survival becomes impossible.
Experts attribute the uncontrolled breeding of stray dogs to the city’s overflowing garbage dumps, which provide food and shelter for the animals. They said without proper waste management, the city has inadvertently turned into a breeding ground for the growing threat.
Karachi’s major hospitals continued struggling throughout the year to cope with the influx of dog bite victims. At Indus Hospital, almost 150 dog bite cases were reported daily.
According to the official figures, since January, the hospital treated over 16,000 cases, with eight patients succumbing to rabies. Similarly, Jinnah Hospital logged nearly 13,000 cases in the outgoing year, with 11 deaths.
Hospital administrators confirmed that around 100 cases arrive daily, ranging from new bites to follow-up treatments.
According to Dr Muhammad Aftab Gohar, manager of the Rabies Prevention Clinic at Indus Hospital, such cases are rising every year.
“If a rabid dog’s saliva enters the bloodstream through a bite, the virus travels via the nervous system to the brain. Symptoms may appear within a period of six weeks to six months,” he explained. Once hydrophobia and aerophobia set in, no treatment exists anywhere in the world, he cautioned.
WHO guidelines on dog biting
According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the first and most crucial step after a dog bite is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and pour clean water on it for at least 10 minutes.
Depending on the severity, patients must then receive anti-rabies vaccines. For moderate-risk cases, a full vaccination course is administered on the first, third, seventh, and fourteenth day.
In severe cases, rabies immunoglobulin is injected directly into and around the wound to provide immediate protection.
Dr Gohar said that timely adherence to these steps ensures 100 percent protection against rabies. However, he lamented that many patients rely on home remedies or receive incomplete treatment at local clinics, which often leads to fatal outcomes.
