“Rabies in Asia” (RIA) is a registered organization based in Bangalore, India, the purpose of which is elimination of Rabies from Asia. RIA has the sanction of the World Health Organization (WHO). A group of physicians, epidemiologists, pathologists, veterinarians and civic minded persons from Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore and Islamabad have formed the “Pakistan Chapter of Rabies in Asia”

There are multifaceted issues in Pakistan dealing with lack of awareness of the disease among both patients and doctors, use of obsolete vaccines, insufficient and expensive modern tissue culture vaccines, lack of diagnostic facilities, absence of accurate data, and above all, poor control of stray dogs that are mainly responsible for rabies. At its first meeting of “Pakistan Chapter of Rabies in Asia” held on Saturday May 13, the core group agreed to address each of these issues both at federal as well as city district levels.

The group expressed serious concern at this time over the fact that two out of three multinationals have stopped manufacturing tissue culture vaccines, and the only remaining multinational has raised its price to an unaffordable cost for the poor. Most countries in South East Asia are importing quality vaccine from India where at least four pharmaceuticals are manufacturing WHO - approved rabies tissue culture vaccine at low cost. The Ministry of Health is asked to consider this in the interest of the public.

Office bearers of “Pakistan Chapter of Rabies in Asia” elected at the meeting are:

President: Dr. Naseem Salahuddin (Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi)
Vice President: Dr. Shahab Kazi (NIH Islamabad)
Gen. Secretary: Dr. Seemin Jamali (JPMC, Karachi)

Rabies in Asia official website