That the dog-bite menace is widespread – with cases being reported from urban centres to small towns alike – goes without saying. That it is turning into a national scare is no overstatement. Just over a week after Pakistan reported its first rabies case of 2026, in Sanghar district of Sindh, five people from a village located in Hazro Tehsil of Attock in Punjab went through a life-threatening rabid dog attack that highlights the need for an immediate plan of action against stray dogs more than ever. The victims were as old as 53 and as young as 4, as well as others aged 17, 10 and 8. The uncontrolled dog’s rampage could have easily turned this event into a day of mourning had it not been for the villagers who banded together to offer donations for treatment.

It is beyond comprehension that on top of the trauma that has already been inflicted on a family due to systemic neglect, they cannot even freely rely on a governmental healthcare service to do its due diligence. On account of a chronic shortage of doses, families of the victims were forced to purchase rabies immunoglobin (RIG) privately, which is meant to be administered immediately for temporary immunity against the rabies virus. Not only are victims expected to foot the bill for their treatment, but they are expected to take on the burden of sourcing it themselves too.

The deputy district officer of health, Hazro, claimed that all affected persons were provided with the anti-rabies vaccination as well as tetanus injections, denying the absence of any medical treatment. But tetanus injections and RIG are completely different things for totally different risks. And regardless of the he-said she-said, the chronic shortage of anti-rabies vaccines and RIGs remains a severe healthcare emergency, resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths each year. The government needs to address the problem of stray dogs in a humane manner that neither infringes on animal rights nor needlessly puts unsuspecting humans in danger – and it needs to do this yesterday.