Sindh to locally produce snakebite serum, rabies vaccine

Three public sector institutions will join hands to work together for the indigenous production of the snakebite serum as well as the rabies vaccine in Sindh.

The decision was taken on Monday during a meeting chaired by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho at her office. The participants of the meeting were informed that the province has the required resources to indigenously produce the snakebite serum and the rabies vaccine.

The meeting decided that Sakrand’s Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Karachi’s Sindh Institute of Animal Health and the laboratory of Dow University of Health Sciences would work together for the purpose, while Gambat Institute of

Medical Sciences will also be taken on board.

The health minister said that after building the indigenous production facility, Pakistan would not have to depend on other countries for importing the lifesaving serum and vaccine to treat cases of snakebites and dog bites.

She said that the indigenous production would also help ensure that the local health facilities are able to treat snakebite and dog-bite cases at all times. Sindh Livestock & Fisheries Minister Abdul Bari Pitafi expressed hope that the indigenous production capability would not only fulfil the serum and vaccine needs of Sindh but also of the entire country.

The meeting also decided to collect details from the database of snakebite and dog-bite cases from Sindh’s tertiary-care and teaching hospitals to determine the approximate serum and vaccine requirement, and learn about the local snake species biting people so that health facilities can be better equipped to treat snakebite cases.

The meeting was also attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Health in Sindh Assembly Qasim Siraj Soomro, Health Secretary Zulfiqar Shah and Livestock Director General Nazeer Kalhoro.