Divisional commissioners urge to launch drive against stray-dogs  

KARACHI: Director General, Health Services Sindh, urged the all divisional commissioners of the Sindh province to launch a reliable and effective campaign against stray dogs to decrease the caseload/ burden on the health facilities of the division.

Director General, Health Services Sindh, Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi, instructed the all divisional commissioners including Commissioner Karachi, Commissioner Hyderabad, Commissioner Larkana, Commissioner Shaheed Benazirabad, Commissioner Mirpurkhas, and Commissioner Sukkur.

According to the letter sent to the Commissioner Karachi, it was observed that 320 cases of dog-bite had been reported in the Primary and Secondary Health Facilities of the Karachi Division. The number of cases is higher in Malir and Korangi.

It is pertinent to mention here that that the health department and partners are trying to make an anti-rabies vaccine available in sufficient quantity to the health facilities of Sindh.

Therefore, it is requested that an efficient and robust campaign for killing stray dogs must be commenced in the division to decrease the burden on the hospitals of the division.

The cases presented in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Indus Hospital Karachi, and other hospitals were not included.

Approximately 84,773 dog-bite cases have been reported across the Sindh province so far out of which 69,453 were reported interior Sindh while 15,320 from Karachi. So far, eleven deaths have been reported due to rabies-related complications this year.