Case filed against dog owner after 13-year-old dies from rabies in Kerala

Authorities investigate alleged negligence following girl's death despite anti-rabies treatment, as dog was unlicensed and unvaccinated.

94 people have died from rabies infection in the state over the past five years. Express Illustration

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Aranmula police have registered a case against the owner of a dog following the death of a 13-year-old girl from rabies at Naranganam in the district. The case was filed based on a complaint by the child’s mother, alleging negligence on the part of the dog’s owner.

The incident occurred on December 13, 2024, when the girl was bitten by the dog while waiting for her school bus. She was rushed to Kozhencherry District Hospital, where she was administered an anti-rabies vaccine. Her family said that she continued with the prescribed course of vaccinations in the following months.

Despite the treatment, her health deteriorated, and she died on April 18.

Reports indicate the dog died three days after the bite, and a postmortem confirmed it was rabies-infected. The parents alleged that the dog, owned by a neighbour named Thulasibhai, was reportedly unlicensed and unvaccinated, and had been allowed to roam freely.