300 dog bite cases reported in first five days of 2026, most victims were two years old or younger
KARACHI:
As many as 300 cases of dog bites were reported at the Indus Hospital in Korangi during the first five days of the New Year, highlighting a worrying rise in attacks by stray canines in several neighborhoods of the metropolis.
The figures were shared by Aftab Gauhar, director of Rabies Prevention Clinic at Indus Hospital, while speaking to The Express PAkGazette.
The hospital shared images of children mauled by stray dogs. Faces disfigured for life, eyes damaged, lips torn off, the images were too graphic to publish. He said there has been a visible increase in stray dog attacks in areas like Korangi, Landhi, Baldia, Hub Chowki and Gadap Town.
According to Gauhar, the majority of the victims were children under the age of two, many of whom suffered serious facial injuries as a result of the attacks. He also cited a case in which a 41-year-old man lost a finger after being bitten by a stray dog.
He said all victims received timely post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) vaccines to prevent rabies. Underscoring the seriousness of the disease, Gauhar warned that rabies is almost always fatal if not treated imminently.
He advised that in case of a dog bite, the affected area should be immediately washed with soap and running water for at least 10 to 15 minutes, followed by immediate medical consultation and vaccination to reduce the risk of infection.
Hard decisions expected
Meanwhile, in a recent interaction with the media, Mayor Murtaza Wahab had said that while a group was opposed to the culling of stray dogs, public safety concerns could not be ignored. He said that the Sindh government had introduced a policy of neutering dogs on the request of animal lovers, but it did not give the desired results. “Any decision made by the City Council regarding stray dogs will be applied,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a recent meeting on Sindh Rabies Control Program (RCPS), Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said that protecting human lives from rabies is one of the top priorities of the Sindh government. It had directed relevant departments to accelerate vaccination and sterilization efforts, ensure effective functioning and improvement of rabies centers and strengthen public awareness campaigns.
However, whether the dog is vaccinated or not, the bite is painful. To control the population, municipal authorities used to euthanize stray dogs. However, in the face of strong resistance from animal rights activists, a project was launched to sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs.
Ironically, after spending millions of rupees, only 19,449 stray dogs were sterilized and 30,729 vaccinated in various districts of Sindh.
The total cost of the project is Rs 963.316 million, of which Rs 302.988 million (31.4 percent) had been utilized till October 31, 2025. According to these figures, the government spent more than Rs 6,000 per dog to sterilize and vaccinate 50,718 dogs.
For FY 2025-26, Rs 265.02 crore has been allocated and Rs 66.255 crore has already been released. The project schedule has been extended to June 2026.
