KARACHI: A 12-year-old boy from Jhal Magsi, Balochistan, has died of clinically diagnosed rabies encephalitis at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi, taking the reported rabies death toll at JPMC and Indus Hospital to 41 this year.
According to hospital sources, the child was identified Sahib son of Ali Hassan. He was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department of JPMC at 7:43pm on November 1, 2026, with high-grade fever, hydrophobia, irritability and an altered level of consciousness.
The hospital report stated that the boy had been bitten by a dog near his left eye approximately one month before admission. He had received two doses of the anti-rabies vaccine, but had not been administered rabies immunoglobulin (RIG).
Although his vital signs were stable on arrival, he had a high-grade fever and an altered level of consciousness. The Neuro Medicine team was consulted, and he was clinically diagnosed with rabies encephalitis. Treatment was initiated, but the child died at 5pm on November 4.
Previously shared hospital figures showed that 11 rabies deaths had been reported at JPMC and 29 at Indus Hospital this year. With the latest death, the combined toll reported by the two hospitals has reached 41.
The reported burden of dog bites also remains high. More than 40,000 dog-bite cases have been reported in Karachi this year, while the number across Sindh has exceeded 200,000. JPMC has received around 12,000 dog-bite patients, while Indus Hospital has treated approximately 17,000.
Rabies is a preventable but almost invariably fatal disease once clinical symptoms develop. People bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal should immediately wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and seek urgent medical attention. Post-exposure vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin should be administered when indicated by medical professionals.