A 53-year old woman has died of suspected rabies infection in Perambra of Kozhikode district in Kerala, despite taking necessary vaccination. The woman, identified as P Chandrika of Randeyaaru in Perambra, was bitten by a dog on her face on July 21. The dog had bitten seven others of the same locality.
After being bitten by a stray dog last month, the woman had taken the full course of the anti-rabies vaccine. Things appeared to be fine till she complained of uneasiness earlier this month and was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital. After ten days of treatment, she passed away in the early hours of Sunday, August 21. Medical college sources said that a final confirmation on whether Chandrika was infected with rabies will be known only after receiving the lab test of her samples.
“She got fever, headache and vomiting days after being bitten by a dog. Immediately she was admitted to the medical college hospital. The next day she was shifted to ICU where she was put on a ventilator and was there till her death,” a relative of Chandrika told Manorama News.
A similar incident had occurred in Palakkad district in June this year, raising questions on the effectiveness of vaccination for rabies infection. Eighteen-year-old Sreelakshmi from Mankara in Palakkad district, died of rabies on June 30, a month after being bitten by a dog. Her death was caused despite getting four rounds of necessary vaccinations. She was studying Bachelors in Computer Application (BCA) at a college in Coimbatore, where she was a first-year student. According to reports, the dog had even bitten its owner on May 29, and a day later, had bitten Srilakshmi. The owner’s condition was said to be stable.