Father, Son Bitten By Pet Dog Die Of Rabies In Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam

A man and his son died of suspected rabies weeks after they were bitten by their pet dog. The duo, according to the local inputs, had delayed taking the vaccination shots. While the son, a 27-year-old man, died four days ago, his 59-year-old father died on Tuesday.

Visakha (Andhra Pradesh):A 59-year-old man and his 27-year-old son died of suspected rabies after the duo were bitten by their pet dog in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam district, police said on Wednesday.

The deceased Allipalli Narsinga Rao, his wife Chandravati and their son Bhargav were bitten by the dog late last month at their home in Eguvapeta of Bhimunipatnam zone in Visakha district. Narsinga Rao man died on Tuesday, four days after his son's death. The family had taken the first shot of rabies at a local government hospital only after the dog died two days post the incident.

Bhargav died four days ago as he did not take the second dose of vaccine, doctors said. Narsinga Rao, who was suffering from paralysis for the past two years, was shifted to a hospital, where he passed away on Tuesday. Doctors said Chandravati was in good health.

Bhimili Urban Health Centre Medical Officer Kalyan Chakraborthy visited the victims' house on Wednesday. "The family members were vaccinated on May 31 at the health centre, but they took only the first dose and skipped the remaining ones. Chandravati is in good health condition," he said.

Dog bites are reported in large numbers in India, with 2023 alone seeing over 27.59 lakh cases. Maharashtra recorded more than 4.35 lakh dog bite cases in 2023, the highest in the country, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

State-wise number of dog bite cases in India (Source: Union Health Ministry)

What is Rabies?

Rabies is an acute viral disease that causes fatal encephalomyelitis in virtually all the warm-blooded animals, including humans. The virus is found in wild and some domestic animals, and is transmitted to other animals and to humans through their saliva (following bites, scratches, licks on broken skin and mucous membrane).

In India, dogs are responsible for about 97% of human rabies, followed by cats (2%), jackals, mongoose and others (1%). The disease is mainly transmitted by the bite of a rabid dog.

Is there any vaccine which can protect against rabies with one or two doses?

As per the National Centre for Disease Control, no such vaccine exists in the world which can induce protective immunity against rabies with only 1 or 2 injections. A complete course comprises administration of DCG (I) approved vaccine (Lyophilized vaccine with specified amount of diluent) as per recommended schedule i.e. 0.1 ml of vaccine on 2 sites on days 0, 3, 7 & 28.

Can a vaccinated dog transmit rabies?

A dog effectively vaccinated against rabies cannot suffer and transmit the disease, according to National Centre for Disease Control. However, in the absence of laboratory documentation of protection, it cannot be presumed that a vaccinated dog is actually protected, given the variable efficacy of various anti-rabies vaccines in animals and health status of animals. Hence, irrespective of the vaccination status of the biting dog, the Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is given.

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