Man, 47, dies of rabies despite vaccination after stray dog bite in Chennai

CHENNAI: A 47-year-old man from Royapettah died of rabies on Sunday despite receiving all five doses of the anti-rabies vaccine. On July 28, Muhammed Nazrudeen, an auto driver, was bitten by a stray dog and received the rabies vaccine at Royapettah Government Hospital.

On Saturday he was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) with symptoms of rabies. "He died of cardiac arrest on Sunday. The primary symptom indicating rabies was irritability. He had completed the full course of anti-rabies vaccines and received immunoglobulin doses," said Dr K Santharam, RGGGH dean."Improper storage of vaccines can contribute to such deaths. And, if a person does not receive the vaccine within 12 hours of a dog bite or fails to follow the vaccination schedule for the remaining doses, it can become fatal," said veterinarian R Sokkalingam.

Nazrudeen's son, Mohammed Samuruden, told a Tamil television channel that his father had received the full course of the rabies vaccine. "He recently developed symptoms such as fever, body ache, and shortness of breath, and was also allergic to water. When he was taken to a nearby private hospital, they advised rushing him to RGGGH. The doctors there said the symptoms were related to rabies," he said.He added that his father was not treated immediately and was kept in isolation.

Later, he exhibited aggressive behaviour, and his symptoms worsened.Chennai records around 30,000 dog-bite cases annually, yet Greater Chennai Corporation does not have city-wide awareness campaigns or preventive measures. GCC usually receives complaints only when a group of people are mauled by stray dogs. Individual bite cases often go unreported; the civic authorities were unaware of the dog bite incident in Royapettah.J Kamal Hussain, veterinary officer, GCC, said, "We have not received any dog-bite complaints from the Teynampet zone; otherwise, we would have captured the stray dog for observation. The rabies-infected dog might have died within 7-10 days."The GCC plans to capture at least 150 stray dogs on Monday to administer anti-rabies vaccine in Royapettah. It has also planned awareness programmes for students and the public, urging residents to report any dog-bite cases."Even when complaints about dog-bite cases are raised, the Chennai Corporation often neglects the issue. They fail to vaccinate and sterilize the dogs roaming the streets, which poses a serious threat. It is the residents who suffer," said S Sethuraman of the Karthikeyapuram Residents Welfare Association, Madipakkam.