MADURAI: A 25-year-old man, who contracted rabies after getting bitten by a stray cat, died by suicide at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) isolation cell here on Saturday, the police said. The deceased has been identified as A Balamurugan, a resident of Maruthupandi Street in Avaniyapuram.
Police said that a few weeks ago, Balamurugan was bitten by a stray cat. Though he immediately took a tetanus toxoid (TT) injection, he developed symptoms of rabies. Without knowing this, he was admitted to a private hospital for anxiety and other reasons. Later, when the hospital diagnosed him with rabies, he was immediately shifted to the GRH isolation cell. However, on Sunday morning, he was found dead.
Balamurugan’s family members stated that he had not even informed them about the cat bite on time and was also found upset after being diagnosed with rabies.
A doctor from GRH stated that an anti-rabies shot is important even after a cat bite. Pet owners should make sure that their animals are given the vaccine. (Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN helpline 104 and Sneha helpline at 044-24640050.)