300 cases of dog bites reported in first five days of 2026, most victims aged two or under
KARACHI:
As many as 300 dog bite cases were reported at Indus Hospital in Korangi during the first five days of the new year, highlighting a worrying rise in attacks by stray dogs in several neighborhoods in the metropolis.
The figures were shared by Aftab Gauhar, Head of Rabies Prevention Clinic at Indus Hospital while talking to The Express Pakinomist.
The hospital shared photos of children being mauled by stray dogs. Faces disfigured for life, eyes damaged, lips torn away, the images were too graphic to print. He said a visible increase in stray dog attacks has been recorded in areas including 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 severe facial injuries as a result of the attacks. He also cited a case where 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. Gauhar emphasized the seriousness of the disease and warned that rabies is almost always fatal if not treated immediately.
He recommended that in the event of a dog bite, the affected area should be immediately washed thoroughly under running tap water with soap for at least 10 to 15 minutes, followed by immediate medical consultation and vaccination to reduce the risk of infection.
Tough decisions awaited
Meanwhile, in a recent interaction with the media, Mayor Murtaza Wahab had said that while a group was against the killing of stray dogs, public safety concerns could not be ignored. He said the Sindh government had introduced a dog neutering policy on the demand of animal lovers, but it did not yield the desired results. “Whatever decision the city council makes regarding stray dogs will be implemented,” he added.
Separately, in a recent meeting on the Rabies Control Program Sindh (RCPS), Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said that protecting human life from rabies is a top priority for the Sindh government. He had directed relevant departments to speed up vaccination and sterilization efforts, ensure efficient functioning and upgrading of rabies centers and strengthen public awareness campaigns.
But regardless of whether a dog is vaccinated or not, the bite is painful. To control the population, the municipal authorities used to kill stray dogs. But after strong opposition from animal rights activists, a project to sterilize and vaccinate the stray dogs was launched.
Ironically, after spending millions of rupees, only 19,449 stray dogs had been sterilized and 30,729 vaccinated in various districts of Sindh.
The total cost of the project is Rs963,316 million, of which Rs302,988 million (31.4 percent) had been utilized by October 31, 2025. According to these figures, the government spent more than Rs6,000 per dog to sterilize and vaccinate 50,718 dogs.
For the financial year 2025-26, Rs265.02 million has been earmarked, with Rs66.255 million already released. The project timeline has been extended to June 2026.
