Project to make Ibrahim Hyderi rabies-free under way

Programme to be extended to all areas of Karachi, says mayor

KARACHI: The pilot project of the Rabies-Free Karachi (RFK) programme, initiated in union councils of Ibrahim Hyderi, will soon be extended to the rest of Karachi.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said this while presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the pilot project and decide future plans regarding the anti-rabies programme. The project is aimed at safeguarding citizens against dog bites and controlling the spread of rabies virus, the mayor said.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has been collaborating with the Indus Hospital for the programme. According to a statement issued by the KMC, strategies suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health have been adopted in the RFK programme, which include administering anti-rabies vaccinations to dogs and neutering them.



According to the mayor, district municipal administration and union council chairmen will be taken on board when the project is extended to the entire city so that the required infrastructure for the implementation of the project could be ensured. Akhtar also stressed the need to focus on suburban areas and katchi abadies of the city.

The WHO has set a target of the elimination of rabies across the globe by 2030 and the KMC will provide all possible support to the WHO and other organisations concerned in this connection, the mayor said.

Sharing some statistics, Akhtar said around 100 to 150 cases of dog bites were reported in the city daily, which amounted to around 15,000 to 20,000 cases annually. Industrial areas in Karachi are more affected in this regard, the mayor said, adding that victims of dog bites can die if they are not provided immediate medical aid.

So far 2,145 dogs have been vaccinated in three union councils of Ibrahim Hyderi, whereas, around 400 dogs were neutered, said Dr Nasim Salahuddin, head of the RFK programme at Indus Hospital.



The local population was also taken on board before implementing the programme in their area, for which community engagement sessions were conducted, Dr Salahuddin said. She added that rabies could be effectively controlled if 70% of dogs were vaccinated in any area. Dog catching and vaccination teams have been trained by experts from the WHO and around 50,000 kits were provided by the health organisation for this purpose.