KARACHI: An 11-year-old boy from Mirpurkhas, Sindh, who was infected with rabies, died at Jinnah Hospital on Friday, adding to the growing toll of rabies-related fatalities in the province this year.
According to Dr. Irfan, in-charge of the emergency department at Jinnah Hospital, the boy had been undergoing treatment in the hospital’s special ward for the past two days.
The family revealed that the child was bitten by a dog four months ago, but it remains unclear whether he received timely medical intervention or vaccination.
This tragic incident follows the death of 24-year-old Shehryar, a resident of Karachi’s Qayyumabad area, who also succumbed to rabies at Jinnah Hospital just a day earlier.
Dr. Irfan Siddiqui, in-charge of the emergency department, had stated that Shehryar was bitten by a dog two months prior but did not receive the rabies vaccine after the incident.
The Sindh Health Department has reported a total of 19 rabies-related deaths in the province so far this year. Of these, 11 deaths occurred at Indus Hospital, while 8 were recorded at Jinnah Hospital.
Rabies, a preventable viral disease, continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Sindh, with experts emphasizing the critical importance of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and timely vaccination following dog bites.
