Stray dog bite risks explained: Why rabies vaccine can't always ensure a person's survival?

Niya Faisal, 7, who died of rabies, became the third vaccinated victim in Kerala to succumb to the viral disease in the past month. A 12-year-old from Pathanamthitta had died on April 9 before a six-year-old girl from Malappuram on April 29—both despite receiving the vaccine.

 

Dr. S. Bindu, superintendent of SAT Hospital, where Niya was treated, said that the victim may have been bitten deeply in a nerve-rich area, which could have led to the rapid spread of the virus. She added that the virus might have reached the brain before the antibodies generated by the vaccine could take effect.

 

SAT Superintendent Dr. Bindu addressed the press conference along with the doctors who treated Niya to clarify the circumstances.

 

The doctors clarified that the Rabies virus spreads through nerves to the brain and spinal cord, and that  If a dog bites directly into a nerve, the virus can spread rapidly. The doctors also noted that although the vaccine is administered, it takes time to become effective. Nerve injuries are rare, but in children, bites often occur on the hands or face, increasing the chances of deep nerve damage. That is why immunoglobulin is given along with the vaccine.

 

According to SAT, in Niya's case, the dog bite had caused a deep wound in an area with high nerve concentration. If a dog’s tooth directly pierces a nerve, the antibodies from the vaccine may not be able to neutralize the virus.

 

Doctors also emphasized that the vaccine’s efficacy should not be questioned. If the virus enters the nerve before the vaccine-induced antibodies are generated, such cases can happen. Immunoglobulin is administered to immediately neutralize the virus, but if the bite is deep, its effectiveness may be reduced.

 

Niya was bitten by a dog on April 8. She was taken to the Vilakkudy Family Health Centre and then to the Punalur Taluk Hospital where she received the vaccine. She later received her second and third doses. On the 29th, she developed a fever and was taken first to the Taluk Hospital and then referred to SAT Hospital.

 

 Kerala’s Local Self-Government Minister M.B. Rajesh, meanwhile, strongly criticized the Union government's stringent Animal Birth Control (ABC) norms for sterilizing stray dogs, calling them impractical and in need of urgent revision.

 

He pointed out that the central guidelines mandate that sterilization surgeries must be conducted in air-conditioned operation theatres within specially equipped ABC centres, and only by doctors with at least seven years of experience. A refrigerator is also compulsory. Furthermore, dogs must be treated for a week post-surgery, with wounds fully healed and infection-free, before they can be released at the same location they were captured from.

 

"How is it feasible to sterilize lakhs of stray dogs under such rigid conditions?" Rajesh questioned, adding that any deviation from these rules is treated as a legal offense.

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