12-year-old dies of rabies

KARACHI:

A 12-year-old boy from Jacobabad died of rabies while undergoing treatment at a welfare hospital in Korangi, taking the number of rabies-related deaths in the city this year to 20.

Hospital officials said the child had been bitten nearly two months ago by a stray dog on both hands and one leg. The dog was reportedly rabid and had bitten several other people as well. After the incident, the boy was taken to a nearby medical facility where he was allegedly administered rabies vaccine; however, he was not provided complete and proper post-exposure prophylaxis.

According to the hospital administration, the child developed rabies symptoms a day earlier, which rapidly worsened. He was shifted to Karachi for treatment but could not survive.

Officials said that 19 rabies-related deaths had already been reported in Karachi this year, and the latest case has raised the toll to 20, once again highlighting serious gaps in prevention, timely vaccination and public awareness regarding dog-bite management.

Having spent around Rs302.9 million from the Rs963.3 million Rabies Control Programme Sindh (RCPS), the officials could sterilise only 19,449 stray dogs and vaccinate 30,729 as of October 2025, per official data. The calculation of both the interventions comes to Rs6,000 per dog.

The project's total cost is Rs963.316 million, of which Rs302.988 million (31.4%) has been spent by October 2025. For FY2025-26, Rs265.02 million has been allocated, with Rs66.255 million released. The programme has been extended until June 2026.