Hyderabad: Mauled six-year-old still critical

HYDERABAD: The condition of six-year-old Saqlain Ali continued to be critical on Wednesday, two days after he was brought in with multiple dog bite injuries. The boy was attacked by a pack of eight to 10 dogs at Moul Ali late on Monday evening and had suffered grievous bruises to his forehead, limbs and perianal area.
The boy is currently undergoing treatment at the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of state-run Gandhi Hospital. Several of his wounds are yet to be stitched. “We have been told that 10 or more stitches have to be made but that could not be done today (Wednesday) as he is still under observation. There is not a single part of his body which has not been bitten. Authorities should do something to end stray dog menace in the area,” said Zakir Hussain, the child’s grandfather.
On Tuesday, the boy suffered two convulsions.
Hospital authorities confirmed that Ali will be kept in PICU for another few days. “Though there have been no seizures in the last 24 hours, we need to keep him under observation. The patient has several dog bite wounds all over his body. He is on antibiotic treatment and has been administered anti-rabies and immunoglobulin injections. Depending on this condition, it may take five to 10 days for him to be in the hospital,” said Dr Annapurana, duty resident medical officer at Gandhi Hospital.
Though family members of Ali expressed their wish to shift the child to a private facility for better treatment, they said that it wasn’t possible owing to financial constraints. “We wanted to seek treatment in some corporate hospital but the child’s father earns just about Rs 8,000 working as a security guard. We cannot afford treatment at any private facility,” added Hussain.