KARACHI: The public health crisis triggered by unchecked increase in stray dog population once again came into the spotlight when two female polio workers and a policeman escorting the field staff were injured in separate incidents of animal attacks on Saturday.

Sources said one female worker carrying out door-to-door vaccination campaign was attacked by a street dog in Zaman town, Korangi, while the other in the area of Malir Cantonment.

The third incident, the sources said, was reported in the Quaidabad area where a policeman escorting the polio team was bitten by a stray dog. He was later treated at the Indus Hospital.

Speaking to Dawn, a spokesperson for the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) only confirmed the cases involving two female workers.

EOC confirms two incidents involving as many female polio workers; cop bitten by stray dog receives treatment at Indus Hospital

“Two incidents involving street dogs affecting polio workers were officially reported today in Korangi and Malir. The safety of our frontline workers is our highest priority, and we stand fully with our teams,” said EOC-Sindh spokesperson Minahil Mustafa.

According to her, the cases were immediately managed as per the health and safety protocols, with full support from relevant departments.

She explained that teams established for the polio vaccination drive at union council level included representatives from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, town municipal corporations and the local government and “such issues are promptly raised and addressed through these coordination mechanisms”.

The government encouraged the media and community members to share any relevant information so targeted support and solutions could be provided in affected areas, she added.

Rabies Prevention and Training Centre Manager Aftab Gohar of the Indus Hospital confirmed that a policeman engaged in polio-related duties reported at the hospital with dog-bite injuries on Saturday.

“A 21-year-old policeman, escorting the polio workers, reported at our facility today with dog-bite injuries. His leg injury was classified as a Category II exposure,” he said, adding that he was provided treatment and asked to report back for follow-up doses scheduled on Day 3 and Day 7. This year, he pointed out, at least two to three polio workers with dog-bite injuries had received treatment at the hospital. One of the victims was a woman in her late 30s.

“On a daily basis, however, 150 to 200 dog-bite [old and new] cases are reported at our facility,” he said.

The official emphasised the need for controlling dog population, training healthcare providers in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and creating public awareness.

It might be recalled that this week a rabies case was reported in Karachi, raising the total number of reported cases of the deadly infectious disease to three in the province.

Last year, at least 22 people lost their lives to rabies. Over 41,000 dog-bite cases were reported at three tertiary care hospitals — over 16,000 at the Indus Hospital, over 12,000 at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and over 13,000 at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026