Second dog bite death reported in Kerala despite full course of anti-rabies vaccine

Thiruvananthapuram: Even after receiving the complete course of the anti-rabies vaccine, another person in Kerala passed away, driving the health authorities into a frenzy.

A month after receiving the vaccine, 53-year-old Chandrika from Kozhikode suddenly passed away.

Chandrika received the entire course of the anti-rabies vaccination after being bitten by a stray dog last month. Everything seemed to be going well before she complained of discomfort earlier this month and was hospitalized at 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.

Earlier, a 19-year-old girl in Palakkad had died a month after taking a full course of the anti-rabies vaccine due to a dog bite.

Anti-rabies vaccines are administered to people for free in all state-run health centres and hospitals, while in private hospitals a hefty charge is levied to complete the prescribed doses.

Questions are being raised on the efficacy of the vaccines, especially the ones given free of cost.

The state health authorities are looking into all aspects as the death of Chandrika is being analysed in detail.

With inputs from IANS