- Rabies is Fatal but vaccine preventable (public health importance)
- OIE-2019 listed disease (multiple species disease)
- WHO estimate - 55,000 deaths annually
- Prevail in all continents, except Antarctica
- Estimated 10 million people receive postexposure prophylaxis each year
- Estimated annual death toll in Asia is over 31,000 (one death every 20 min) – Dog main source
- Seventh position among infective diseases at global level
- Neither reportable nor notifiable – Pakistan
- Pakistan among countries with highest cases of rabies
- Rabies endemic nations (South Asia) -3 categories
- Excessive (India, Bangladesh and Pakistan)
- Medium (Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal)
- Occasional (Afghanistan)
- Fully Free (Maldives)
- No comprehensive / effective national rabies control program with proper planning, funding resources and inter-sectoral coordination
- Neither of ministries deal with canine rabies**
- Ministries dealing with animal health are focused on economically important animal diseases
- No proper diagnostic and treatment facilities - at government hospitals (neither at village nor at districts level)
- Only limited (local) rabies control initiatives in Pakistan
- Under WHO program “Zero by 30” a pilot project - ‘Rabies Free Karachi’ started in October 2017.
- Mass Dog Vaccination (MDV) of at least 70% of dogs in an area (Ibrahim Hyderi town of Karachi) carried out to produce herd immunity against rabies.
- To reduce dog population the recommended strategy for Animal Birth Control (ABC) through spaying/neutering was part of the campaign.
Collaboration of “Indus Hospital Karachi” and “University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences” - pilot scale project was also carried out to train relevant human resource. This initiatives led to the development of Policy Brief on Rabies Control and later to develop Dog Population Management Policy by the Government (Policy Attached as a separate file)
Animal Birth Control (ABC) Dog Policy 09-16-2021
