SWABI: Stray dogs roaming in main bazaars and other localities of the district pose a serious danger to the safety and health of people, but the municipal administrations of the four tehsils seem to have failed to control the menace.

Stray dogs sitting in front of butchers’ shops and waiting for a piece of meat is a common scene in bazaars of the city. The big problem is that such dogs carry dangerous rabies, a disease transmitted when a dog bites a person causing a fatal viral infection.

“Dog bite injury is curable, but sometime it could prove fatal,” said a doctor.

Health staff and officials in TMAs said that it was true that several people had been bitten by dogs in the last few years, but they could not keep record of such cases due to unknown reasons.

The doctors said that they did not have anti-rabies vaccine and people could acquire it from the medical stores. Sources at the DHQ hospital said that there was no anti-rabies vaccine in the hospital and as such no record of treatment of patients. When contacted, DHQ hospital medical superintendent Dr Mohammad Shafiq said: “We have finished the stock of vaccine and have placed orders for fresh supply. We will get it soon.”

Under the health policy of PTI-led provincial government, anti-rabies vaccine are provided free of cost to the patients. In the market one injection costs between Rs700 and Rs 800 and each dog bitten person needed a course of five injections.

Health officials said that it was the task of municipality to control stray dogs.

“Dogs roaming in markets could be very dangerous. If a dog in an area turns mad it could bite several dogs and if it happens it might cause madness of a number of dogs which may cause a great damage to the humans,” said Rohal Amin of Topi city, who was bitten by a mad dog a few years ago.

Abbas Ali who was bitten by a stray dog said that he was advised by the doctors to go for anti-rabies vaccine. The doctors and local people said that the TMAs should devise a strategy for eradication of stray dogs to protect their health and lives.

KILLED: A man was killed and a passer-by injured when members of two families clashed over a petty issue in Anbar village here on Friday.

Registering an FIR, Inayatur Rehman, brother of deceased Hidayatur Rehman, told Chota Lahor police that his brother had exchanged hot words with Kamran Khan of the same area over some issue, but their rivals did not give up the fight. He alleged that his brother was killed by Kamran. Police said that they had arrested the accused.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016