In a heartbreaking incident, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl from Ayyappa Nagar in Kamareddy, Telangana, has passed away after receiving an anti-rabies injection at the local government hospital. The child was bitten by a stray dog on January 25 and had already received two doses of the vaccine prior to the fatal third dose administered on February 1.
Following the incident, the girl’s parents rushed her to a private hospital where doctors confirmed no pulse or movement. She was then returned to the government hospital where she was pronounced dead. The family and relatives, grief-stricken, staged a protest at the hospital that lasted for nearly two and a half hours, causing damage to hospital property.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that primarily affects mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock, and wildlife. It can spread through saliva, usually via bites or scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (eyes, mouth, open wounds). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal, and in up to 99% of human cases, dogs are responsible for virus transmission through bites and scratches. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 years are typically the victims of this viral disease.
Factors affecting the effectiveness of rabies vaccines, particularly in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), can contribute to the vaccine’s ineffectiveness and potentially lead to fatal outcomes. The exact factors in this case leading to the tragic outcome remain under investigation.
As authorities continue to investigate the incident, tensions persist at the Kamareddy Government General Hospital. Police have been deployed to maintain order and control the situation. This unfortunate event serves as a grim reminder of the importance of timely and effective rabies prevention measures and the potential consequences when they fall short.
