A 12-year-old boy from Balochistan has died of rabies at Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), after battling the disease for four days.
According to hospital sources, the child belonged to Jhal Magsi district and had a history of a dog bite. He reportedly received a rabies vaccine in Jhal Magsi but later developed symptoms of the infection. He was initially taken to a hospital in Larkana before being referred to JPMC for further treatment.
A senior doctor at JPMC said the boy arrived with a high fever, hydrophobia (fear of water) and irritability, which are characteristic symptoms of advanced rabies affecting the brain. He also had injuries around the eye.
The doctor explained that the nature of the injuries required immediate administration of rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), a critical treatment used alongside the rabies vaccine in certain cases after exposure. However, the child did not receive this treatment and had also not received adequate vaccine doses, according to the doctor.
The boy died on Wednesday evening despite medical care at the hospital.
The incident has renewed concerns over access to timely and complete rabies treatment, particularly for patients arriving from areas with limited medical facilities. Reports have also highlighted the need for public awareness, prompt wound treatment and better availability of vaccines and immunoglobulin.
Rabies is almost invariably fatal once clinical symptoms appear. However, infection can be prevented through immediate wound washing, timely vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin when medically indicated after an animal bite or scratch.
