Published Date: 2012-05-09 17:03:03
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies - India (02): (TN) canine, human
Archive Number: 20120509.1127919
RABIES - INDIA (02): (TAMIL NADU), CANINE, HUMAN
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Wed 9 May 2012
Source: The Times of India, Chennai [edited]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Bitten-by-stray-dog-4-year-old-dies-of-rabies/articleshow/13058744.cms
A 4.5-year-old boy bitten by a stray dog 3 weeks ago died of rabies at the Institute of Child Health (ICH) in Egmore on Monday [7 May 2012]. This is the 3rd rabies death at the hospital this year [2012]. Doctors said the boy from Samdharya Nagar in Ambattur was admitted to the ICH with rabies on Sunday [6 May 2012].
The boy's relatives told doctors that on 18 Apr 2012, the boy was playing with a stray dog when it pounced on him and bit him in the face and hands. "He was taken to a nearby private hospital and given an anti-rabies vaccine. They did not follow it up with the other doses of the vaccine," said ICH director Dr P Jeyachandran.
On 6 May 2012, he was found behaving strangely and brought to the ICH. "His parents said he turned away when given water and often became breathless. These were classical symptoms of rabies. We confirmed the diagnosis when they told us he was bitten by a dog. Rabies is 100 percent fatal," said one of the treating doctors. He died at 9.25 am on Monday [7 May 2012], Dr Jeyachandran said.
Corporation of Chennai health officer P Kuganantham said corporation officials caught hold of more than 20 stray dogs from the Ambattur area on Tuesday [8 May 2012]. The boy's relatives were given preventive doses of infection [! -- presumably vaccine/immunoglobulin?], and the house was cleaned with disinfectants.
"We will conduct screening camps in the area to test other residents on Wednesday [9 May 2012]," Kuganantham said. According to statistics available [from] the corporation, 40 446 people in 2010 and 38 454 people in 2011 were bitten by dogs across the city. Some residents of Ambattur complained that they were on their own when it came to tackling stray dogs. Two-wheeler riders are often chased by stray dogs during late nights, and the corporation's dog-catching squad has been dysfunctional for more than a year, they said.
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[In view of the short interval between injury and death, it is likely that the unfortunate child must have been severely injured, receiving bites on his head as well as his body. Nonetheless, a contributory factor was the failure to administer a series of follow-up injections and treatment of his wounds with rabies immune globulin. Lack of urban dog control was not the determining factor. The standard schedule for treatment of rabies infection recommends that previously unvaccinated individuals should receive the vaccine intramuscularly at 0, 3, 7, and 14 days. For adults, the vaccine is given in the deltoid area; for children, it may be given in the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. In addition to rabies vaccine, injured people should also receive rabies immune globulin at the same time as the 1st dose of the vaccine to provide rapid protection that persists until the vaccine acts.
Chennai (formerly Madras), is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is a major commercial, cultural, and educational centre in South India, while the port of Chennai is the 2nd largest port in India. As of the 2011 census, the city had 4.68 million residents, making it the 6th most populous city in India; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to approximately 8.9 million, making it the 4th most populous metropolitan area in the country. The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Chennai can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/2kP2. - Mod.CP]
See Also
Rabies - India: (WB) 20120501.1119732011
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Rabies - India (16): (TN) canine, human, libido 20111025.3173
Rabies - India (16): (TN) canine, human 20111024.3169
Rabies - India (15): (AP), human, vaccine failure 20110726.2256
Rabies - India (14): (KA), squirrel, human 20110713.2117
Rabies - India (13): (TN) canine, human 20110707.2059
Rabies - India (12): (MA) PEP failure 20110621.1892
Rabies - India (11): (MA) PEP failure 20110620.1884
Rabies - India (10): (AP) canine displacement 20110531.1667
Rabies - India (09): (AP), canine vaccination 20110527.1627
Rabies - India (08): (AP), equine 20110524.1580
Rabies - India (07): (AP) canine, human 20110523.1563
Rabies - India (06): (AP) canine, human 20110522.1558
Rabies - India (05): (AP) canine, human 20110518.1506
Rabies - India (04): (AP) canine, human 20110517.1500
Rabies - India (03): (TN), dog control, human 20110421.1249
Rabies - India (02): (MZ) canine control, human exposure 20110407.1088
Rabies - India: (AP) canine, human exposure 20110102.0018
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