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Sindh govt plans to cull stray dogs

News Desk

Sep 21

Following multiple deaths in the province due to rabies, the Sindh Government has ordered mayors, municipal commissioners and other officials to start immediate and effective campaigns for the culling of stray dogs in the province.

According to reports, as many as 13 people, including men, women and mostly children, have lost their lives in Sindh due to rabies encephalitis, a deadly infectious disease caused by a rabid dogs, this year, while as many as 135,000 people have been attacked and bitten by stray dogs in Sindh, including Karachi.

However, the issue gained momentum after a video of a 10-year-old boy who passed away in his mother’s lap due to full-blown rabies in the Larkana district, went viral on social media. The public and media bitterly criticised the provincial government for failing to control the population of stray dogs and arrange anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) for those who are bitten.

In a notification, the Sindh Local Government Department directed local bodies authorities to launch an “effective and well-coordinated campaign” in their areas on a top priority basis.

Officials of the health department said they had been urging the authorities to direct the elimination of stray dogs for a long time but owing to pressure from animal rights campaigners, no decision had been taken.

Meanwhile, Sindh Director General Health Dr Masood Solangi said that he was satisfied with the decision because it was difficult for Pakistan, being a poor country, to afford the expensive anti-rabies vaccine and vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people who become victim to stray dogs every year in the province. He added that the vaccine is imported from India and due to political tensions, the supple of the vaccine is affected.

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