Kolhapur city woman dies of rabies despite completing vaccine course

Kolhapur: A 21-year-old woman died of rabies while undergoing treatment at CPR Hospital late on Monday night, over a month after she was bitten by a stray dog and three days after completing the anti-rabies vaccination course.
The dog had bitten around 20 people, including her, between KMC Chowk and Bhausingji Road on Feb 3. Dr Shishir Mirgunde, medical superintendent, CPR hospital, told TOI that the victim, Srushti Shinde, had taken all the five doses of rabies vaccine (ARV) and an anti-rabies serum jab for passive immunity from the state-run hospital.
A resident of Vishalgadkar in the city’s Nagala Park area, Shinde used to live with her sister and parents. Her father is an electrical contractor by profession. Shrusti had completed a bachelor's degree in commerce and worked as a graphic designer.
On Feb 3, Shinde was on her way to Shaniwar Peth. She had stopped on the road to answer a phone call when suddenly the dog bit her left leg. Some local residents immediately took her to CPR hospital, where she received stitches for her wounds. As per medical protocol, anti-rabies vaccine was administered. She got her final dose of ARV last Friday.
On Saturday, Shinde developed fever and lost strength in both her legs. She was admitted to a private hospital. As her condition worsened, several tests were conducted and she was put on ventilator. Her test reports showed that she had been infected with rabies. Shinde was taken to CPR hospital at 8pm for further treatment, but she breathed her last at 2am.
Atul Shinde, the deceased woman’s uncle, asked, “How did rabies occur despite the anti-rabies injection? Was the vaccine not kept at the required temperature? How is the city safe if someone loses life due to stray dogs?”
As a precautionary measure, Shinde’s family members were also given anti-rabies vaccine shots. Dr Mirgunde said, “The risk of rabies infection can be spread to others through blood or saliva. Therefore, such patients are kept in separate rooms to prevent spread of rabies. According to a worldwide study, 99.09% of people infected with rabies do not survive. People owning dogs should get their pets and themselves vaccinated. Those who were bitten by stray dog on February 3 should consult their doctors and go for medical check-ups as early as possible”.
KMC health inspector Dr Vijay Patil said, “Sterilisation is the only solution available with KMC. Sterilisation campaign is being continuously implemented by KMC. Every day, 10-15 dogs are sterilized. Around 7,500 dogs have been surgically sterilized since 2019. Two of our teams are entrusted with the task of trapping stray dogs and bringing them to Mangalwar Peth and Isolation centre for sterilization. Gram panchayats and municipal councils also need to participate in the sterilisation efforts.”
In Oct last year, a four-year-old boy was attacked by a stray dog while he was playing in front of his house in the city’s timber market area. The child had to be administered five stitches on his head. In the same month last year, a 10-year-old boy from Jagarnagar was seriously injured after he was attacked by around six stray dogs.
District health officer Rajesh Gaikwad said preventive vaccines worth Rs 70 to 80 lakh are disbursed from the zilla parishad funds through the health department for dog-bite cases.
Dog bite vaccine classification
Class 1 -Touching or feeding animals, licking intact skin, contact through saliva / contact with human excrement — no vaccination required.
Class 2 - Abraded or non-bleeding wounds - require rabies vaccine only.
Class 3 - Single or multiple scrapes and bite wounds, skin contact through saliva - rabies and rabies immunoglobin vaccine required.
Preventive measures
Wash the wound caused by a dog or other animal bite with soap and running water. Apply a sterile dressing to the wound. Do not apply any harmful substances like chili, oil, lime on the wound. Go to a government hospital immediately and take anti-rabies vaccine as per the doctor’s advice. The vaccine schedule should be followed exactly. Vaccinate your pets from time to time.
AAP demands case against
KMC veterinary officer
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s city unit alleged that the civic administration’s negligence towards stray dog management led to Srushti Sunil Shinde’s death. The party also submitted a demand before inspector Dilip Pawar of Laxmipuri police station to file a case against KMC veterinary officer Dr Vijay Patil for the woman’s death. Pawar assured the delegation that the matter would be investigated and action taken. BJP workers also staged a protest outside the KMC, blaming the civic officials for the woman’s death.
MLA Ruturaj Patil on Tuesday evening met KMC administrator K Manjulekshmi and sought urgent measures to solve the problem of stray dogs in Kolhapur.