8-year-old dies of rabies in Jagtial, 15 months after dog bite
Rabies
Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, an eight-year-old boy died on Tuesday after battling rabies for over 15 months following a stray dog bite in Jagtial district.
According to news reports, the boy, identified as Manchikatla Maniteja from Kotilingala village in Velgatoor Mandal, Telangana, was attacked by a stray dog in 2024 while he was playing with his friends. He sustained injuries to his neck and shoulder, after which his parents immediately took him to a hospital, where he was administered the anti-rabies vaccine.
However, during the Sankranti holidays, the boy suddenly began exhibiting symptoms of rabies once again. As his condition deteriorated and he started experiencing difficulty breathing, he was immediately rushed to the Jagtial Government Hospital.
However, his health was not improving. Hence, seeing his condition, his parents, Srinivas and Madhavi, took him to a private hospital in Hyderabad for better treatment.
However, despite prolonged treatment and an expenditure of approximately 50 lakh rupees, the boy passed away on Monday night. His last rites were performed in his ancestral village on Tuesday, according to TNIE.
Speaking to TOI, a health official said, "We suspect that the death may not be due to rabies, as survival for over a year is highly unlikely in such cases. It is more likely that complications from the severe neck injuries led to his death.''
The family had arranged ventilator support at their residence in Hyderabad and continued caring for him for several months by spending lakhs of rupees," said an official in the district health administration, Jagtial.
When his parents noticed no movement in his body, they rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Medical Dialogues had reported that the National Health Mission, Jharkhand, had issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at strengthening rabies prevention and management across the state, to make Jharkhand rabies-free by 2030.
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