Kinkini Gupta
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Written By: Kinkini Gupta | Updated : August 22, 2022 4:07 PM IST
A 53-year-old woman from Kozhikode, Kerala passed away due to rabies infection even after taking the full dosage of the anti-rabies vaccine. The woman, Chandrika, was bitten by a stary dog a month ago. After this incident, she had taken the full course of the vaccine. At first, she did not experience any symptoms. However, she had started experiencing symptoms of uneasiness earlier this month after which she was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital. After ten days of treatment, she passed away on Saturday. The state health authorities are now working to detect the exact cause of death through proper tests.
Another 19-year-old girl in Palakkad with a similar situation had died earlier this month. She was also bitten by a dig and had taken the full course of the vaccine. The vaccines for anti-rabies are usually administered to people free of cost in the state-run health centers and hospitals. The private hospitals are the ones who charge a huge amount of money to complete the prescribed doses. The health officials of the state are looking into the reasons why the vaccines administered by the state-run health centers are not working and how did it lead to the death of two people. Serious questions are being raised about the efficacy of these vaccines, especially the ones circulated for free.
Transmission of rabies takes place through direct contact with saliva or brain or nervous system tissue from an animal who has been infected. You might get infected through broken skin, mucous membranes in the nose, eyes, or mouth. This virus usually spreads from the bit of a rabid animal. It is not completely impossible for people to get it from non-bite exposures as well. These include scratches, abrasions and open wounds which are exposed to infectious material from a rabid animal or exposed to saliva.
These are the basic methods of rabies prevention.
