Aasi
\nOnce considered a symbol of peace, order, and cleanliness \u2014 is now under siege by an unexpected threat: packs of stray dogs roaming freely across streets, parks, and neighborhoods. With no effective culling or sterilization campaigns from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) or other concerned departments, these animals have taken over the city, especially during nighttime, attacking motorcyclists, pedestrians, and even children in groups.
\nThis growing problem isn\u2019t just about fear and physical injury \u2014 it opens the door to a much more dangerous and deadly disease: Rabies.
\nRabies is one of the oldest known diseases in human history, with traces found in records dating back over 4,000 years. The word \u201cRabies\u201d comes from the Latin term Rebere, which means \u201cto rage\u201d or \u201cto be furious.\u201d Caused by the Lyssavirus, rabies primarily infects warm-blooded animals \u2014 especially dogs \u2014 and spreads to humans through bites.
\nA staggering report from the past decade revealed that nearly 17,400 people around the world die annually due to rabies, with 95% of these deaths occurring in Africa and Asia. Alarmingly, 40% of those who died were children under the age of 15.
\nThe symptoms of rabies are horrifying. It starts with fever and headaches, then escalates to agitation, confusion, and muscle paralysis. One of its most terrifying features is hydrophobia \u2014 a crippling fear of water \u2014 followed by eventual coma and death. Once the symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
\nIn Pakistan, especially in provinces like Punjab and Sindh, cases of stray dog bites are on the rise, but inaction persists. Islamabad, the nation\u2019s capital, is now witnessing similar dangers while authorities continue to turn a blind eye. The absence of an organized stray dog control program is putting thousands of lives at risk every single day.
\nDo we really have to wait until a child of a minister or bureaucrat is bitten before action is taken?
\nIt is high time the authorities took meaningful steps \u2014 not just to eliminate stray dogs cruelly \u2014 but to adopt global best practices, such as mass sterilization, vaccination, and safe relocation of these animals. Many developed nations have succeeded in controlling rabies without violence. Why can\u2019t we?
\nPublic awareness, government action, and a humane but firm policy are urgently needed before Islamabad, too, becomes a city where animals rule the streets \u2014 and humans fear to walk them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aasi Once considered a symbol of peace, order, and cleanliness \u2014 is now under siege by an unexpected threat: packs of stray dogs roaming freely across streets, parks, and neighborhoods. With no effective culling or sterilization campaigns from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) or other concerned departments, these animals have taken over the city, especially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-486341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n