Rabies, canine, bovine - India: (Kerala), susp.

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RABIES, CANINE, BOVINE - INDIA: (KERALA), SUSPECTED

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International Society for Infectious Diseases

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Tue 13 Nov 2007

Source: The Hindu, Kerala [edited]

<http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/13/stories/2007111366040300.htm>

 

 

Nearly a 100 people from Aanappara, near Vithura, were administered

anti-rabies vaccination shots at Government Medical College Hospital

(MCH) here on Monday [12 Nov 2007] following a mass hysteria that

they might have contracted rabies from the milk of a cow whose calf

had displayed symptoms of the disease.

 

The MCH authorities had to open up the auditorium to accommodate the

hundreds of people who hired a bus and came to the hospital claiming

that the milk of the cow had been supplied to a local teashop they

had gone to. Several local body leaders too accompanied the group.

 

Health officials said the calf, owned by a local woman, was bitten by

a rabid dog last week [5-11 Nov 2007]. Though the calf was

subsequently vaccinated, the local people killed it as they suspected

that it had begun to display symptoms of rabies.

 

Even though the cow was not rabid, people started raising doubts that

the cow could have contracted the virus from the calf's saliva.

 

When it turned out that the cow's milk had been supplied to a local

teashop, all those who had visited the shop turned up at the Vithura

hospital on Sunday [11 Nov 2007] fearing that they might have

contracted the virus through the milk. They were referred to the MCH

as the hospital was not equipped to handle the situation.

 

The doctors at the Community Medicine department pointed out to the

people that it was extremely rare that rabies spread through milk. In

this instance, the cow was not even rabid.

 

Also, the rabies virus was heat-sensitive and if at all it was

present in the milk, it would have been destroyed when the milk was

boiled. However, when doubts were raised if the milk had been

properly boiled, the MCH authorities decided that they would

administer the anti-rabies vaccine to all those who said they needed

it.

 

The district medical administration offered to supply the necessary

vaccine for everyone. All those who took the 1st dose will have to be

given 2 more doses in subsequent weeks to complete the vaccination

cycle.

 

--

Communicated by:

Merritt Clifton

Editor, Animal People

<anmlpepl

 

[The rabies vaccine has been applied, in this case, indeed as an

anti-hysteria medication. There was no other justification for its

application in those who drank the milk; rabies does not infect the

milky way.

 

The only people who might have been exposed to the rabies virus were

those who handled the bitten calf during slaughtering, provided this

took place more than a week after the dog's attack (has the dog's

brain been examined?).

 

An interesting lesson for public health educators. - Mod.AS]

 

[Vithura is a small village situated 36 km (22 mi) from

Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the Kerala state in southwestern

India, which can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive

map at

<http://healthmap.org/promed?v=22.9,79.6,5>. - CopyEd.MJ]

 

[see also:

2006

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Rabies, human, canine - India (Kerala) 20060427.1230

Rabies - India (Manipur) 20060324.0909

2005

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Rabies, human, bovine - India (Kerala) 20051121.3382]

....................................tg/arn/mj/lm

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

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