By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Health officials in Sindh province have reported the 11th human rabies fatality in Karachi this year, primarily in children.
The latest case is a 12-year old boy from Thatta died within an hour of his arrival at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) on Tuesday due to full-blown Rabies Encephalitis, officials said.
The rabies cases come as Sindh province reports a rash of dog bites during the first five months of the year–in the tens of thousands.
As many as 85,000 people, mostly children have been bitten by stray dogs in the first five months of the current year in entire Sindh province so far, said Director General Health Sindh Dr. Masood Solangi .
There are also issues with shortages of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) and rabies immunoglobulin injections, which has led to a rise in the number of deaths.
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is transmitted to humans or other mammals usually through the saliva from a bite of an infected animal. It is also rarely contracted through breaks in the skin or contact with mucous membranes.
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