Satara man dies of rabies, sixth death in two months

PUNE: A 65-year-old man from the rural parts of Satara died of rabies at the PMC-run Naidu Infectious Diseases Hospital recently.
With this, the rabies death toll has gone up to six within two months. Experts have highlighted the need for health education programmes for the medical community and people.
They said the importance of proper wound care and post-exposure vaccination must be reinforced to prevent rabies.
“The man was not a resident of Pune city. He was admitted to the hospital when his health condition had already worsened. He had developed hydrophobia (fear of water). The infection had already progressed to a fatal stage. He succumbed to rabies infection on February 17,” said a medical officer of health of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
The man had sought treatment after suffering the dog-bite. “He had received four doses of anti-rabies vaccination (ARV), but did not take rabies immunoglobulins — the fast acting antibodies that help in deactivating rabies virus and play a crucial role in severe dog bite cases,” the medical officer said.
Many ignore dog bites and seek medical assistance when the infection sets in. It is the primary reason for deaths due to rabies, say experts.
“People in rural areas tend to use traditional methods to treat dog-bite cases before reporting to a hospital. In many parts of rural Maharashtra, for instance, a paste of lime, turmeric and bitter gourd leaves is applied to a wound from a dog bite. There is a need to educate people about seeking immediate treatment after dog bite,” health activist and medical practitioner Sanjay Dabhade said.
“Moreover, people cover the wound by tying a cloth around it, which is wrong. The wound needs to be kept open as covering it can facilitate the spread of infection,” medical expert and in-charge of Naidu Hospital Sudhir Patsute said.
“It has been our observation that dog bite patients coming from the rural areas are almost always inadequately treated. In most cases, they don’t get the fast-acting rabies antibodies called immunoglobulins — which can immediately deactivate the virus. The availability of immunoglobulin in the rural areas is also limited,” he added.
“The awareness is abysmally low at the state government-run rural hospitals and PHCs. Most of these healthcare units don’t even have immunoglobulins for patients,” Dabhade said. Even in urban areas, only 10% of government clinics provide complete treatment — both vaccine and immunoglobulin.
Delayed treatment invariably leads to deaths. Medical experts said several people also have the tendency to dismiss bites of puppies as innocuous, which could be dangerous.