Rawalpindi, Nov 6: Cases of rat-bites are on the rise in Rawalpindi, the city adjoining Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. And, the rats are of sizes as big as cats!

Rat-bite cases were increasing day-by-day in the city due to presence of large size rats in the populated areas, said Dr Mehmood Ahmed of the Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

“Rat biting is a dangerous phenomenon and a person bitten by a rat must be administered anti-rabies injections, comprising five shots, to avoid any kind of complication. The patient is also referred to Anti-Rabies Centre of National Institute of Health for further tests,” The News quoted Ahmed as saying.

On Wednesday, a rat bit 8-year-old Usman Ahmed, a resident of Chaklala, while he was studying at a madrassa near his house. Father of the boy said: that Usman went to madrassa but after a while he was brought back home by two other boys with blood oozing out of his wounds. “My son told me that a rat bit him while he was studying,” he said and added that he was in agony and I could not see his pain.

According to a survey conducted by the paper, rats almost as big as cats freely roam in localities like Saddar, Raja Bazaar, Aria Mohallah, Sarafa Bazaar, Lalkurti, Tench Bhatta, Pirwadhai, Ratta Amraal and other old mohallahs of the city.

The paper said that the local authorities are grappling to tackle the situation. (ANI)