KARACHI: With the provincial government persistently failing to control the dog population and effectively address gaps in rabies prevention, two cases of the deadly infectious disease were recorded on Monday, raising the total number of rabies cases reported at the city’s two hospitals so far this year to 38.

Officials at the Indus Hospital stated that a 38-year-old man hailing from Diplo, Tharparkar, died of the viral infectious disease at the facility on Monday.

“He was admitted to the hospital on Oct 7 with a history of a dog bite over two and a half months back,” a hospital official said, adding that the documents available with the patient showed that he was administered four doses of the rabies vaccine between July 25 and Aug 4 at the Taluka Headquarters Hospital Diplo.

Doctors believed that the victim’s wound had not been properly washed when he was provided first aid.

Dog-bite victim from Tharparkar dies at Indus Hospital; 12-year-old boy from Hyderabad with full-blown rabies admitted to JPMC

“While the most important factor in preventing rabies is receiving post-exposure prophylaxis — the rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin (if needed) — on time, a dog bite victim can still develop the infection if the wound is not properly washed,” a doctor explained.

According to hospital officials, the facility has recorded 29 cases of rabies and over 15,000 dog-bite cases so far this year.

The second case of rabies involved a 12-year-old boy who presented with full-blown rabies at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Monday.

Sources said the boy, hailing from Hyderabad, was brought to the hospital’s emergency department with complaints of hydrophobia, irritability and fits.

“His history revealed severe dog bite injuries to the hand and chest around two months earlier. Unfortunately, the family had not sought any medical treatment,” a senior doctor shared, adding that the patient had been administered the vaccine and admitted to the hospital.

According to the sources, the JPMC has seen around 11,000 cases of dog bite so far this year.

The sources said the 38 rabies cases recorded so far this year at the Indus Hospital and the JPMC involved citizens across the province, including Karachi, with a significant number of cases involving children.

A large number of rabies cases, experts say, go unreported as patients use home remedies or turn to faith healers for “treatment”.

They emphasised the need for public awareness, humane control of the dog population and the availability of appropriate treatment in hospitals.

While dog bites account for the majority of rabies cases, bites from potentially rabid wild animals can also transmit the virus.

After exposure, early wound cleansing, timely rabies vaccination and the administration of rabies immunoglobulin, if needed, can effectively prevent the disease, which is almost invariably fatal once clinical symptoms appear.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026