29/09/2025
🔍 Rabies Control in Pakistan – Are We Hitting in the Dark?
Today, on World Rabies Day 2025, I want to reflect on my experience working on rabies control projects in Pakistan. One major challenge that stands out is the absence of reliable data.
👉 We don’t know how many stray dogs exist in our communities. Without this baseline, planning, executing, or evaluating any rabies control initiative becomes nearly impossible.
👉 There is no national rabies control plan or clarity on institutional responsibility. Instead, we see fragmented, small-scale projects, mostly focused at TNVR without understanding the epidemiology of the disease and stray dog population dynamics. Additionally, these projects are mostly driven without any collaborations with relevant stakeholders which results in waste of resources in training of manpower in TNVR whereas we have sufficient Veterinarians and Para veterinarians who can be engaged in these projects. While these efforts are commendable, they often fail to create sustainable impact, every few dogs captured and neutered are quickly replaced by others migrating from surrounding areas.
👉 For dog bite incidents in humans, we must promote the Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) approach. This not only ensures proper treatment of the bite victim but also helps identify, investigate, and observe the dog, ultimately reducing the risk of further exposures and saving both human and animal lives.
Rabies is 100% preventable, yet it continues to claim lives. To make real progress, we need:
✔️ Reliable data on dog populations
✔️ Data on dog bite cases and their epidemiology
✔️ Foster intersectoral collaboration at human-animal interface
✔️ A coordinated, national level strategy
✔️ Clarity on leadership and accountability
Without these, our efforts risk being scattered and ineffective, like hitting in the dark. On this World Rabies Day, let’s advocate for data-driven, One Health–oriented, and nationally coordinated rabies control strategies. Only then can we move closer to a rabies-free future.
Farooq Tahir ✌️🦠💥 Copied from His Wall
