TAXILA: At least five people were injured in a suspected rabid dog attack in the village of Hameed of Hazro town on February 8, exposing the alarming failure of local authorities to curb the growing menace of stray dogs despite repeated complaints from residents.
The injured have been identified as Khalid Khan, 53, Ameer Muawiya, 17, Inayat Ullah, 10, Muhammad Ayan, 8, and Ahmed, 4, who sustained bite injuries when the dog went on a rampage in the locality, triggering panic among villagers.
According to official sources, the victims were initially moved to tehsil headquarters hospital Hazro, where they were administered anti-rabies vaccination as immediate treatment.
Due to the seriousness of the cases, they were later referred to Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi for further medical care.
Patients report shortages of essential rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) in govt hospital
However, families of the victims complained that while anti-rabies vaccines were provided, the critical secondary treatment, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) was not available at the Rawalpindi hospital.
Therefore, the affected families were forced to purchase the life-saving injections from private medical facilities, adding financial strain to an already traumatic situation.
Khalid Khan alleged that they were denied rabies immunoglobulin for the whole day and had no option but to purchase from the local market by collecting donations from their native area.
Residents questioned how long they would continue to remain neglected, saying the absence of timely medical support and preventive measures had put lives at risk. Locals said no effective operation has been carried out to eliminate or control stray dogs, turning residential streets into potential danger zones, particularly for children.
When contacted deputy district officer of health, Hazro, has ruled out the denial of first-aid medical treatment at the tehsil level.
He added that all the affected persons were administered anti-rabies vaccination as well as Tetanus Toxoid (TT) injection.
He added that as the dog was suspected to be rabid, according to the medical standing order procedure (SoP), the patients were referred to the territory hospital Rawalpindi for advance dose.
He stated that under special arrangements, beyond going to official responsibilities, the rescue 1122 ambulance was provided to the patients as they belonged to a poor family.
He said that although the vaccination was privately purchased, the hospital authorities reimbursed the payment to them, going beyond the rules on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2026.
