Dog Bite Cases in Pakistan 2026: Weekly Count by Province and District, Plus Rabies (Latest: Week 41)

Short answer: Pakistan reported 5,898 animal and dog bite cases in week 41 of 2026, and 4,288 of them were in Sindh. That is close to 6,000 bites every week since week 37. Balochistan also reported 5 suspected rabies cases that week. The figures are from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) weekly disease bulletin, posted on 28 October. Punjab did not report.

A dog bite is an emergency because rabies, once symptoms start, is almost always fatal. It is also preventable with prompt wound care and vaccine. This page tracks the weekly bite count by province and district, and lists the first steps NIH's bulletin stresses. We will update it as each new bulletin comes out.

Pakistan logs close to 6,000 bites a week

NIH counted 5,684, 5,837, 6,179, 5,861 and 5,898 animal and dog bite cases in weeks 37 to 41 of 2026. That is more than 800 a day, even without Punjab. Week 39 was the highest of the five weeks.

The bulletin groups animal and dog bites in one line. Most are dog bites, but the figure can include other animals. These counts come from the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system, or IDSR, in which health facilities report weekly.

Punjab is marked "NR", not reported, in every bulletin we read. The real national number is therefore higher than these totals.

Sindh reports nearly three in four bites

Sindh reported 4,288 bites in week 41, 73 per cent of the total. The highest district counts were in interior Sindh, led by Naushero Feroze with 358. Karachi's seven districts reported 338 together, fewer than Naushero Feroze alone.

Balochistan's district counts were small, with no district above 12 in week 41. A low count can also mean missing reports, since some Balochistan districts were marked "NR" that week.

Balochistan reported 5 suspected rabies cases in week 41

The week 41 bulletin lists 5 suspected rabies cases, all from Balochistan. It listed 3 in week 39 and 2 in week 40, also all in Balochistan. These are suspected human rabies cases, which almost always end in death once symptoms begin.

Each rabies case is a bite that did not get full treatment in time. That is why NIH's public health actions for dog bites stress prompt post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP. PEP means wound care plus rabies vaccine, and for some bites rabies immunoglobulin, given after the bite and before any symptoms.

Do these five things after any dog bite

NIH's week 41 bulletin lists immediate wound washing, prompt medical care and timely rabies vaccine as the core response to a dog bite. It also asks health departments to keep rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin in stock at designated facilities.

1. Wash the wound at once with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, as the World Health Organization advises. Do this even for a small scratch.
2. Do not put home remedies on the wound. Let the hospital clean and treat it.
3. Go the same day to a government hospital that gives anti rabies vaccine. Do not wait to see if the dog falls ill.
4. Take every vaccine dose on the dates the hospital gives you. Missing doses leaves you unprotected.
5. Note the dog's description and where it happened, and tell the hospital. Report stray dog attacks to your local council.

We give no treatment advice beyond official guidance. A doctor decides whether you need vaccine only or vaccine with immunoglobulin. Our full guide on what to do after a dog bite in Pakistan explains the categories of bite and where to go.

Read the bulletin for your own district

NIH posts each bulletin as a free PDF. Table 1 gives the province totals for animal and dog bites and rabies. Tables 2 to 4 give district counts for Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Open the NIH weekly bulletin page, download the newest 2026 file and search for "Dog Bite". For an earlier week in detail, see our week 38 dog bite report.

Common questions

How many dog bite cases are there in Pakistan each week?

NIH's bulletins show between 5,684 and 6,179 animal and dog bite cases a week from week 37 to week 41 of 2026, without Punjab.

Which district has the most dog bites in Sindh?

Naushero Feroze, with 358 in week 41. Dadu (312), Ghotki (290), Shikarpur (273) and Khairpur (264) followed.

How many dog bite cases were reported in Karachi?

Karachi's seven districts reported 338 together in week 41. Karachi Central had the most with 126.

Are there rabies cases in Pakistan in 2026?

Yes. The week 41 bulletin lists 5 suspected rabies cases, all in Balochistan, after 3 in week 39 and 2 in week 40.

What should I do first after a dog bite?

Wash the wound at once with soap and running water, then go the same day to a government hospital for anti rabies vaccine.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the NIH IDSR weekly bulletins for weeks 37 to 41 of 2026 from the NIH weekly bulletin page on 4 November 2026. Province figures are from Table 1, district figures from Tables 2 to 4 of week 41, and the dog bite actions from the public health actions section of week 41. Sums and percentages are our own arithmetic.