Karachi, May 30, 2018 (PPI-OT): Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar said the Rabies Control Program was aimed at providing safeguard to citizens against dog biting and spread of rabies virus among local population. The Pilot project initiated in Ibrahim Haidery union councils will soon be extended to other areas of Karachi. Strategies devised by the World Health Organization and World Organization for Animal Health were adopted in the RFK program which involved anti rabies vaccination in dogs and animal birth control program.
Presiding over a meeting to review the up to date progress and decide on future plans, Mayor Karachi said the district municipal administration and union council chairmen will be taken on board in this connection so that basic infrastructure for this program could be made available in all districts of Karachi.
The meeting was attended by the metropolitan commissioner Dr. Syed Saif-ur-Rehman, chairperson medical committee Naheed Fatima, financial advisor Dr. Asghar Shaikh, senior director medical services Dr. Beerbal, senior director coordination Masood Alam, Head of Rabies Free Karachi Program at Indus Hospital Dr. Nasim Salahuddin, Program Manager Rabia Mansoor Khan, team leader Aftab Gohar, research associate Abdullah Qureishi and other officers.
During a briefing to Mayor Karachi, Dr. Nasim Salahuddin said so far 2145 dogs have been vaccinated in three union councils of Ibrahim Haidery whereas about 400 dogs were operated under ABC program. The local population was also taken into confidence before starting work in their area and community engagement sessions were conducted. She said rabies control could be made sure if in any area 70 percent dogs were vaccinated.
The dog catching and vaccination team has been trained by the expert from World Health Organization and about 50 thousand kits were provided by the WHO for this purpose. Mayor Karachi reviewing the overall project and its implementation in Karachi said we need to focus more on suburban areas and katchi abadies besides continuing work in main city. He said the World Health Organization has set the 2030 target for elimination of rabies in the world and we will provide all possible cooperation to WHO and other concerned organization in this connection.
He said daily hundred to 150 cases of dog biting are reported in the city and 15 to 20 thousand cases of dog biting are reported annually. The victim can be expired if no immediate medical aid is provided to him. Industrial areas in Karachi are more suffered due to this situation. He said that new technology is being used to control the rabies and for this purpose dogs will be given anti rabies vaccine and operated under ABC program.
For more information, contact:
Administrator Secretariat
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)
City District Government Complex, 1st Floor, Civic Centre,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi
Tel: +92-21-99232400-01
Fax: +92-21-99232406
Email: administrator@karachicity.gov.pk