In what can be termed as a bizarre incident, 450 villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district received rabies shots after they consumed charanamrit that volunteers served during Durga Puja.
Interestingly, the cow that later died of a dog bite produced the charanamrit or prasadam. The cow died on Tuesday, and veterinarians suspected it of having rabies.
The incident prompted the Health Department to organise a vaccination drive as a precautionary measure. However, officials have not confirmed rabies in the animal.
The cow’s death and the news that a stray dog bit it caused concern in Dadi Khas and neighbouring Govindpur village, where households and two local shops reportedly received the cow’s milk. The cow owner Nawami Yadav said he was unaware of when a stray dog bit the cow, reported India Today.
He further said that for the preceding one or two days, the cow had not been keeping well, including making barking sounds like a dog, but its condition deteriorated significantly on Tuesday.
After the cow died of rabies-like symptoms, anxiety spread among devotees who consumed the same milk that farmers had used for making the Durga Puja charanamrit or prasadam. Some residents immediately approached the local community health centre (CHC) and sought help.
On Wednesday, October 21, a Health Department team led by pharmacist Siddharth Singh and several health workers from the centre reached the village and set up a vaccination camp to attend to more residents.
“The cow has died, and people were afraid. Therefore, 450 people received anti-rabies vaccines as a precautionary measure,” Gorakhpur Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Rajesh Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today.
How do anti-rabies vaccines work?
The anti-rabies vaccine is an inactivated vaccine that helps develop immunity by forming antibodies, which are proteins that protect against infections caused by viruses.
Medical professionals use the anti-rabies vaccine as a life-saving injection to prevent rabies infection after an animal bites, scratches, or saliva contacts broken skin, or as a preventive measure for high-risk individuals.
Content contributed by Aditya Shukla, reported from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, sourced by wionews.com
