Rabies: 5,000 people die every year in Pakistan

LAHORE:

Rabies, a disease which causes around 70,000 deaths annually in the world, can be prevented through proper vaccination. This was stated by Prof Dr Athar Khan of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences while talking to APP here on Wednesday.

Dr Athar Khan stressed the need to raise awareness about rabies. Around 95 per cent of human cases in Pakistan are caused by bites from infected dogs, he explained. About 5,000 people die every year in Pakistan after contracting the infection, he said. “These cases can be prevented through vaccination of pets but in our country there is very little vaccination of pets,” the UVAS professor added.

According to Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) report, rabies is one of the most dangerous diseases that are transmitted by animals. It kills more people each year than H5N1 (bird flu) and Dengue fever combined.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.