Snappy jaws: 17 bite victims reported in Swat

MINGORA:

More than a dozen people were bitten by dogs on the outskirts of Mingora city, creating a panic.

Saidu Teaching Hospital Casualty In charge Dr Mian Gul Alam told The Express Tribune the incidents were spread over three days, adding more than 10 patients had come to the medical facility. The doctor added four victims were brought in on Monday. “It still has not been confirmed whether they were rabid or not, but we sent blood samples of victims,” he said.

Abidullah, an official of Mingora Municipal Committee, said a total 17, mostly adolescents, were bitten by dogs in Barama, Gumbat Mera and Shabirabad. “We dispatched a team to the area to shoot down the dogs,” he said.

In February 2015, there was an outcry from rights activists in Sindh’s metropolis of Karachi after municipal authorities barbarically shot and killed stray dogs in residential neighbourhoods. After having committed an act many likened to murder, the officials decided to line up the corpses and take pictures with them. Many in the city called for more humane and civilised methods to deal with the problem of stray dogs.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2015.