'Didn't wash wounds with soap'; Doctors about Malappuram girl's death due to rabies

KOZHIKODE: Doctors who treated the five-year-old who died of rabies in Malappuram said that there were 13 total wounds in her body. Among these, the four were on her forehead and very deep.

Other wounds were on the legs, lips, face, and shoulders. Doctors said that the virus rapidly spread to the brain through deep wounds on the head, which may have prevented the antiviral medication from working.

It was Sia Faris, daughter of Salman Faris, a native of Peruvallur, Malappuram, who died while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College.

It is pertinent to wash the wounds with soap at the earliest if you are a victim of a dog bite attack. Sia’s wounds were washed only after she was taken to Tirurangadi Taluk Hospital. Doctors said that although the child was given the IDRV vaccine, the vital immunoglobulin to prevent the spread of the virus was not provided by the taluk hospital.

The child was then shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. The doctors said that the ERIG was administered only after arriving here.

After administering proper care, the child was sent back home after treatment on March 29th. However, she was admitted back to the hospital three days later after developing symptoms of rabies.