WHO, Indus Hospital to conduct survey on rabies

KARACHI - A grand medical survey is going to be conducted in the country to estimate the rabies-infected and dog-bite cases as thousands of people die of this disease annually in the country.
This is for the first time in the country that a proper survey is going to be held. Department of Infectious Disease Indus Hospital (IDIH), Korangi, Karachi, will conduct this important survey with the financial assistance from World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to statistics, prepared by National Institute of Health (NIH), nearly 2,000 to 5,000 deaths are reported annually due to rabies in Pakistan. The NIH releases these figures every year for the last ten years.
Dr Nasim Salahuddin, Consultant and head of the IDIH expressed these views on Thursday while talking to The Nation.
According to WHO, the most frequent way that humans become infected with rabies is through the bite of infected dogs and cats, wild carnivorous species like foxes, raccoons, skunks, jackals, wolves, some insectivorous and vampire bats.
Cattle, horses, deer and other herbivores can become infected with rabies and although they could potentially transmit the virus to other animals and to the people, this rarely occurs.