KOLLAM: A seven-year-old girl, native of Vilakkudy in Kollam district, has contracted Rabies and she is undergoing treatment at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, despite having received anti-rabies vaccination. Her condition is reported to be critical.
According to Rajeena Thomas, president of the Vilakkudy panchayat, the incident occurred on April 8, when the girl, Niya, was bitten on her hand by a stray dog while playing with a duck outside her house. She was initially taken to a primary health centre in the panchayat and later to the Punalur Taluk Hospital, where anti-rabies vaccination was administered.
Her final dose of the vaccine was scheduled for May 6. However, last week she developed a persistent high fever. She was admitted to a private hospital in Kollam, but her condition deteriorated. She was then shifted to the SAT Hospital, where doctors confirmed the presence of the rabies virus following tests.
"She had gone to a neighbour's house and was playing with a duck when a stray dog bit her. Her parents promptly took her to a health centre and then to Punalur Hospital, where vaccination was started. But last week, she developed continuous fever, and though she was taken to a private hospital, rabies was not detected. Her condition worsened, and she is now in the ICU," Rajeena Thomas told TNIE.
Incident can’t be attributed to vaccine failure, says SAT Hosp superintendent
Additional doses of the IDRV were given on April 11, 15, and 18, with the final dose scheduled for May 6. However, the child developed a persistent high fever on April 29 and was admitted to a private hospital in Kollam. As her condition worsened, she was moved to SAT Hospital, where tests confirmed rabies infection.
SAT Hospital superintendent S Bindu said the girl’s condition remains critical. Terming the incident unfortunate, she said it cannot be attributed to vaccine failure.
“She has been in intensive care since the morning of May 2. Only in the coming days can we comment definitively on her recovery. We have started Remdesivir, but as you know, rabies has the highest mortality rate in the world.