No rabies death before Khushi Photographer’s in Surat in 10 years

SURAT: The civic authorities have confirmed that no death due to rabies was recorded in the past 10 years in the city. A five-year-old girl, Khushi Photographer, died due to rabies at SMIMER hospital on Tuesday.
“There are no recorded deaths due to rabies in the city in the past 10 years. It is rare due to preventive care taken by those bitten by dogs,” said a health official.
The officials claimed that exactly when the last case of rabies was recorded in the city required detailed checking of old records.
Khushi’s death surprised her family and health officials since there was no incident of dog bite in her case. But the family members told the doctors that they suspect that a dog licked the wound on Khushi’s body around six months ago and she was not given anti-rabies vaccine. She was a resident of Palanpur Patia and was outside her home when the incident took place.
Khushi was showing signs of hydrophobia and photophobia in which she feared water and light on February 25. She was kept under treatment in a dark room at the hospital.
Following multiple attacks on children and death of two children within a week, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is increasing its infrastructure to control the dog menace. SMC is focusing on speeding up sterilisation of dogs to control the dog birth.
The animal birth control programme has continued in the city for the past decade. However, there are no records of dog population. The number of dog bites is increasing regularly. From around 1,000 anti-rabies vaccines per month at government hospitals around six months ago, over 2,000 vaccines were given to those bitten by dogs in January this year.