Jacobabad woman dies after mongoose bite in first rabies death of 2026

KARACHI: A 42-year-old woman from Jacobabad has died of rabies after being bitten by a mongoose, in what health officials said was the first reported rabies death of 2026 linked to such an attack.

According to a spokesperson for Indus Hospital, the woman was bitten about two weeks before her death. Hospital officials said she did not seek medical care after the incident and was not given an anti-rabies vaccine.

Doctors said the lack of timely post-exposure treatment proved fatal, noting that rabies is almost entirely preventable if treatment is started promptly after an animal bite. Aftab Gohar confirmed that this was the first documented rabies death of the year caused by a mongoose bite.

Indus Hospital officials said rabies continues to cause deaths in the country. They added that the hospital has recorded nine rabies deaths so far in 2026.