KARACHI: When Junaid Ahmed Khan was brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) in Karachi last week, he was suffering from high fever and delirium.
Doctors diagnosed the 45-year-old with rabies and began treatment — but it was too late.
On Monday this week, Khan passed away.
Months had passed since he had been bitten by a stray dog — precious time his family wasted in seeking treatment from local faith healers and trying home remedies.
Indeed, Khan is one of hundreds of people who die of rabies in Pakistan every year because families prefer to see traditional healers instead of visiting hospitals and getting anti-rabies vaccines in time, doctors in Karachi told Arab News this week.
Rabies is endemic in Pakistan, with human infections mostly due to dog bites. The World Health Organization estimates about 500 to 5,000 people die of the virus in Pakistan each year.
And while the Global Alliance for Rabies Control says more than 80,500 cases of dog bites are reported by basic health units across Pakistan annually, those managed by spiritual healers are not recorded. Doctors believe the real number of cases may be significantly higher.
“Seven patients brought to the hospital since the beginning of the year, including Khan, were not administered anti-rabies vaccines on time,” Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) executive director, Dr. Seemi Jamali, told Arab News.
“He was brought to us nearly three months after he was attacked by a stray dog,” she said. “When he first developed symptoms of rabies, his family took him to a faith healer instead of bringing him here.”
“People do not get timely treatment due to lack of awareness,” the doctor said, lamenting that patients often first tried home remedies like rubbing various substances like pepper and antimony into their wounds.
Two hospitals in Karachi, the Indus Hospital and JPMC, have together already handled 8,500 dog bite cases since the beginning of the year.
“The figures provided by hospital authorities are just the tip of the iceberg,” Aftab Gohar, manager of the Rabies Prevention Center at the Indus Hospital in Karachi, said.
He said at least four patients died at his hospital this year because it was too late to start treatment by the time they were brought in.
It was ignorance that mostly led to such incidents, Gohar said, as rabies treatment, although it costs about Rs12,500 ($80), was administered free of charge at many Karachi hospitals.
“In rural areas of the province, dog bite cases are not taken seriously, and people are mostly rushed to faith healers or shrines,” Gohar said, adding that cases were also mismanaged at local health centers. “Even if someone goes to a local hospital for dog bite treatment, some doctors and nurses are unaware of how to deal with the problem under the World Health Organization’s guidelines.”
In Pakistan’s Sindh, rabies treatment faces unlikely adversary: traditional healers
https://arab.news/weuxv
In Pakistan’s Sindh, rabies treatment faces unlikely adversary: traditional healers
- Hundreds die of rabies in Pakistan every year because families seek traditional healers instead of professional medical help
- World Health Organization estimates about 500 to 5,000 people die of the virus in Pakistan each year
Pakistan’s PIA enters into cargo deal with Air France-KLM to boost exports
- As per agreement, PIA’s freight division will gain access to Air France-KLM’s network of European, American cities
- Exporters will be able to use both PIA, Air France–KLM’s networks under a single air waybill, says Pakistani airline
KARACHI: The recently privatized Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a cargo agreement with global aviation group Air France-KLM to expand its global outreach and push Pakistani exports to more international markets.
The PIA said its agreement with Air France-KLM came into force on Jan. 15. Air France-KLM operates in 320 destinations and is a global aviation player in passenger, cargo and maintenance businesses.
As per the agreement, PIA Cargo, the airline’s freight division, will gain access to Air France–KLM’s global network. Through the deal, PIA Cargo will gain access to Air France–KLM’s global network via Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam.
Air France-KLM’s network includes major European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, and New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, the PIA said.
“Significant improvement is expected in the exports of Pakistani products and access to global markets,” the PIA said in a statement.
Exporters will be able to use both the PIA’s and Air France–KLM’s networks under a single air waybill, the airline said.
An air waybill is a document used in international air shipping that serves as a legal, non-negotiable contract between the shipper and the airline.
In November 2025, PIA and Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a Cargo Interline Special Agreement to expand cargo business and augment bilateral trade. The partnership aims to minimize logistical complexities in transporting commodities.
The PIA was Pakistan’s national flag carrier until a Pakistani consortium, led by the Arif Habib Group, secured a 75 percent stake in the airline in December for Rs135 billion ($482 million). Pakistan had previously attempted to reform the debt-ridden airline, which had accumulated more than $2.8 billion in financial losses over the years.
PIA’s new owner Arif Habib announced last week that the airline is in talks with aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Airbus as it plans to revamp service and expand its current fleet.
The PIA has said it plans to increase the airline’s fleet to 64 aircraft from the current figure of 19 over the next eight years.
