Around 100,000 People Suffer From Cancer Due To Dog Bite: Dr Memon

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Sep, 2016 ) : Around 0.1 million people in Pakistan suffered from cancer annually due to the bite by the stray dogs, said additional director Public Health Sindh and Focal person for Rabies Dr Muhammad Saleem Memon.

Talking to APP here on Wednesday on the world rabies day, he informed that rabies was a fatal disease that was caused by a virus carried in the saliva of a rabid animal particularly dogs, which in turn spreads to humans through the animal's bite.

World Rabies Day was observed in Pakistan alongwith other parts of the world on September 28 to spread awareness regarding the fatal disease. Dr Memon said as many as 60,000 people died every year from rabies globally, while this fatal disease victimized more than 30,000 people in our neighboring country India annually.

He said rabies virus transmitted from dog or any other animal in to the human through bite directly attack the brain while after diagnosing the disease, it became difficult to save the life of the patient.

He described the symptoms of the rabies, which included irritation, breathing problem, and fear from light and shivering. Dr Memon informed that Sheep Brain Vaccine (SBV) was one of the earliest vaccines produced against rabies in 1911.

The WHO, after severe reactions and failure of the SBV, had declared the vaccine obsolete in 1980s and recommended use of tissue culture rabies vaccine that proved safe and effective. He further informed that rabies was not a problem being faced only by Pakistan, but also by other countries of the region, including India and Iran.

It is necessary for doctor to properly assess the rabies patient, analyze the case and determine the required dose accordingly, keeping in mind that a smaller than required dose will be ineffective, he added.

He said that rabies virus was not carried in blood and only intermittently in saliva, CNS, fluid, urine and some tissues. The patients should be handled in a private and quiet area where all staff should enter with gowns, goggles, masks and gloves.

Dr Memon said tissues and fluids should be disposed of in the same manner as was in practice in the cases of other infectious diseases, like tuberculosis, hepatitis, etc. He also pointed out that in the application of Semple vaccine, a patient had to be administered a doze for 14 consecutive days but in many cases patients would default because of various reasons.

But with the introduction of Tissue Culture Vaccine (TCV), he added, this cumbersome procedure had almost been eliminated. Dr Memon emphasized on creating awareness regarding urgency of treatment, saying that rabies patients must rush for appropriate treatment.

He also called for elimination of stray dogs by municipal administrations. He cautioned rabies patients to rush to hospital to get vaccinated as soon as possible and also advise patients to wash the wound with soap and water as a first aid measure at home.