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Around 1,000 people, mostly children, die of rabies each year in Pakistan despite the availability of treatment. Dr. Mohammad Irfan Habib of ChildLife Foundation said rabies is 100% preventable with proper medical care.

Islamabad: A shocking report has come to light from Pakistan where about 1,000 people, mostly children, die from rabies every year. The country witnessed these deaths despite the availability of life-saving treatment, Dawn News reported. According to Mohammad Irfan Habib, Medical Director, ChildLife Foundation, rabies is a big problem in the neighbouring country’s rural and marginalised communities. Children of low-income communities are frequently bitten by stray dogs. The major cause of death among these children is delayed or inaccessible treatment.

What Did The Medical Director Of ChildLife Foundation say?

Mohammad Irfan Habib stated that rabies particularly doesn’t claim lives and is 100 percent preventable with appropriate steps.

“The tragedy is particularly acute in Pakistan’s rural and low-income communities, where children are frequently bitten by stray dogs while playing or walking to school. Delayed or inaccessible post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) often leads to preventable deaths. Rabies does not have to claim lives; it is 100% preventable if the right steps are taken immediately,” Mohammad Irfan Habib said.

“Every parent and caregiver must know the lifesaving steps: wash dog-bite wounds with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, seek emergency care without delay, and complete the vaccination schedule,” added Dr. Habib in his remarks to Dawn.

What’s WHO’s Take On Rabies?

World Health Organisation said that Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease which directly attacks the central nervous system in humans. Notably, 99 percent of human rabies cases are due to dog bites. The victim of rabies are mostly Children between the ages of 5 and 14 years.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Around 1,000 people, mostly children, die of rabies each year in Pakistan despite the availability of treatment.
• Dr. Mohammad Irfan Habib of ChildLife Foundation said rabies is 100% preventable with proper medical care.
• WHO notes that 99% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites.
• Rabies spreads through saliva via bites, scratches, or contact with eyes, mouth, or wounds. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

Rabies Spreads To People And Animals Via Saliva

The WHO has indicated that rabies is transmitted to humans and animals through saliva, primarily through bites, scratches. It can be also transmitted with a direct exposure to mucous membranes such as the eyes, mouth, or open wounds. Once symptoms of the disease manifest rabies is nearly always fatal.

• The incubation period for rabies typically lasts between 2 to 3 months, but can be increased from one week to a year.
• Factors affecting the incubation period – the entry point of the virus and the viral load present.
• Initial symptoms of rabies are – fever, pain, and abnormal sensations at the wound site.
• As the disease progresses, it can cause severe inflammation of brain and spinal cord, often resulting in death.
• WHO estimates the global economic impact of rabies to be around USD 8.6 billion every year.

(with agency inputs)