Kerala mother dies after saving her child from dog attack - How dangerous is rabies?

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New Delhi: A 30-year-old Kerala mother succumbed to rabies at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Friday, despite getting anti-rabies treatment immediately after being bitten by a stray dog.

As per reports, Rincy, sustained multiple injuries on her face, including, lips and nose, while trying to shield her 18-month-old son Jithin from a dog attack.

Her husband Binoy told The Times of India that Rincy protected her son by laying down on the road and covering him with her hands and body when a dog pounced at the child.

Although the child escaped unhurt, the mother was severely bitten by the dog.

She was rushed to the district hospital and administered anti-rabies injection. However, on Wednesday, Rincy developed symptoms of illness, including high fever and vomiting and finally died on Friday morning.

Medical authorities at Wayanad district hospital said all treatment protocols were followed and Rincy had been given three doses of anti-rabies injections, along with anti-rabies serum.

“Since she was bitten on her face, it could have helped the virus spread fast to the brain," said Wayanad DMO Vivek Kumar R.

What is rabies? how lethal is rabies virus?

Rabies is a a vaccine-preventable viral disease often transmitted through bites or scratches, usually via saliva, of an animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans.

The early symptoms of rabies in people include - fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort.

As the virus progresses to the central nervous system, more specific symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water), appear. Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.