| Dog bites increase between June and Nov |
| Monday, 08 September 2008 | |
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The time between June and November is the time period when the population of stray dogs peaks. Correspondingly so do the cases of dog bites and hence rabies. This year seven patients have died of rabies in and around Karachi, over 20 patients are brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) everyday for dog bite treatments revealed Dr Seemin Jamali, the Deputy Executive Director of the JPMC. Rabies is caused when the rabies virus, present in the saliva of an infected animal, finds its way into a person’s blood stream, usually by a bite or scratch that punctures the victim’s skin. The virus has a strong affinity for cells of the nervous system. It enters the nerve cells at the site of the wound, travels to the brain, and then follows other nerve pathways to muscles and organs that are especially affected by rabies. Rarely, people contract rabies when the saliva from an infected animal comes in contact with their eyes, nose, mouth or a wound. This may occur if you’re licked by an infected animal. Contrary to popular belief that only mad dogs foaming at the mouth carry the virus, rabies can be contracted through other warm blooded animals as well, including cats, bats, raccoons and other rodents. The ‘dumb’ type of rabies has symptoms of abnormal behaviour, failure to eat, anti-social demeanour, reclusive, and very quiet. The ‘furious’ type symptoms are of a very aggressive animal who has red eyes, tends to bite stuff at random and even foams at the mouth. In both types the animal is afraid of water bodies. In humans the symptoms appear after an incubation period which may be as short as two days or as long as two years. The symptoms are high fever, abnormal jerking of the body, hallucinations, involuntary muscle twitching and a fear of water. Also the old adage used by the old and wise to scare the children of 14 big injections to be taken in the stomach is obsolete. This vaccine was the Sheep Brain Vaccince – the Semple Type. Now the JPMC provides for free the Rabies Immune Globulin which is a Tissue Culture Vaccine. Dr Seemin Jamali revealed that it was a step taken through her efforts that this was done following a death of a security guard due to rabies despite being injected with the sheep brain vaccine. Dr Jamal however confesses that the Human Rabies Immune Vaccine – which is more effective, cannot be administered due to the high price and the short supply. The vaccines administered at the JPMC today are through the Essen or the Zhagred method which are safer and easier to administer, not to mention that it is less painful for the patient. Apart from the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and JPMC, other public or small time hospitals are still using the sheep brain vaccine, which has been termed obsolete by the World Health Organisation. On the flip side, the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) is trying its level best to eradicate the dogs in a bid to reduce bite cases. It, however, fails miserably as packs upon packs of dogs are seen in many of the areas of the city. True that of the seven victims to have died only one belonged to Karachi City, the bite cases from within the city make it a case of when rather than if. The CDGK operates the extermination of dogs on a Town basis. Every town is given a supply of poison capsules based on demand and supply. These capsules are then placed within sweetmeats or pieces of meat in the expected path of pye-dogs. Upon ingestion of these edibles, the dogs fall over dead. They are then taken and buried in the nearest garbage dump. However, there is a risk of street urchins consuming the sweetmeats and falling prey is minimal as it is done under supervision according to Dr A D Sajnani, EDO Health CDGK. The CDGK also does not opt for the humane method of neutering the dogs or vaccinating the dogs due to the high costs and increased risk to the sweepers who are normally utilised for this purpose. Dr Sajnani further revealed that it is the responsibilities of the 18 Towns and the Cantonments and other Civic agencies to take care of the extermination of stray dogs. “CDGK only acquires and provides the stricteen hydrochloride – 50 milligram capsules to Towns. “The largest population of the dogs can be found near the railway tracks and open eateries where people throw food. Railways is not under the local government jurisdiction, and nothing can be done about that at least” said Dr Sajnani. He also told The News that a complete course of the Human RIG costs Rs7,000. The 18 towns have been directed to carry out an operation to exterminate dogs in the month of Ramazan. |
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