Tamil Nadu: Man Bitten by Rabid Dog Dies with Slit Throat

A tragic incident occurred on Tuesday at a government hospital in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where a man infected with rabies took his own life. The victim, identified as 35-year-old Ram Chander from Odisha, had been working at a private company in Coimbatore when he was bitten by a stray dog a few days earlier.

As his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to the hospital and put on an isolation ward. Rabies, a fatal viral disease affecting the nervous system, tends to result in aggressive and erratic behavior during its advanced stages. Chander started displaying such symptoms, which made it hard for doctors to handle him.

While in seclusion, he shattered a glass pane from a notice board and used the broken pieces to cut his throat. Knowing the dangers of rabies transmission through body fluids, hospital personnel did not act at once and called the local police. By the time the authorities came, he had already lost a lot of blood. He died despite attempts to save him.

A case has been filed by the police over the incident. In the meantime, shocking videos of his last moments have been making rounds on social media, generating conversations regarding the risk of rabies and the need for immediate medical intervention after an animal bite.

Rabies is a deadly disease that results from the Lyssavirus, which infects most commonly through animal bites. It begins with symptoms of the flu like fever and headache but progresses through aggression, drooling, paralysis, and an overwhelming aversion to water. After symptoms develop, the illness is nearly always fatal. But prompt inoculation with rabies shots, or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), will stop the virus from advancing.

Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, (MD, FAAP), President of Bharatiya Liberal Party (BLP) says, "Rabies is universally fatal (with almost 100% death rate). Around the world, there are hardly 20 documented cases surviving diagnosed Rabies. Milwaukee protocol -wherein patient is put to coma- saved one 15 years old survive Rabies"

In a similar case in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, an employee of a dog shelter in Sector 108 was brutally assaulted by a Pitbull. The assault continued for almost 10 minutes, leaving the man badly injured in the legs. He was taken immediately to a private hospital for treatment.

A video of the attack, which has since gone viral, shows the Pitbull lunging at the worker’s right leg, refusing to let go. The victim was on the ground and bleeding profusely as he tried to free himself but was overpowered by the dog. His piteous pleas for help were heard in the video, and it took other workers intervening for the situation to be calmed down.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)