Rare case of death

Pakistan's healthcare system seems to have made a fatal error in administering vaccines for a disease that is virtually cent per cent preventable and poses a near-zero per cent mortality risk to vaccinated individuals. About three months ago, a boy, 13, was brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in Karachi after suffering a dog bite and received what was thought to be a complete vaccination course for rabies.

The reason the teenager's death raises serious questions about public healthcare practices in the country – in fact in none other than its most modern city – is that rabies, if treated within an appropriate time period via vaccine, is entirely curable. The only factors that can hinder the vaccine's efficacy are related to either delays or improper administration. There is a possibility that the child was subject to delayed care perhaps because he was not immediately rushed to a hospital. But if that was not the case, this preventable death exposes critical flaws in hospital protocols.

For severe dog bites, especially on the face or neck, it is essential for a hospital to promptly administer rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) alongside routine vaccination for localised immunity. But public sector hospitals in Pakistan are notorious for RIG shortages, which is how a "full dose" of immunisation might still lead to death. Instances of vaccine failures have also been linked to improper wound washing, counterfeit vaccines or unfit storage temperatures. And all of these reasons warrant an in-depth investigation to figure out what exactly went wrong.

It is highly likely that this unfortunate death will soon be forgotten by both the media and the public and intentionally shoved under a rug by the hospital management. But questionable cases that signal towards foul play are often the very first thread that unravels a larger network of malpractice. Therefore, the thread must be pulled - if not for justice, then for prevention.