Gujarat man diagnosed with rabies shows signs of animal-like behaviour; hospitalised

Palanpur, Gujarat: A 27-year-old labourer, who was bitten by a dog three months ago, was admitted to a government hospital in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Saturday after developing severe symptoms of rabies, including animal-like behaviour, officials said.

Deva Dungri, who worked in Narasal village in Palanpur, was brought to Banas Medical College and General Hospital around 3 am, and the chances of his survival are slim, said Dr Sunil Joshi from the medical facility.

According to hospital authorities, the patient exhibited abnormal behaviour, including involuntary vocalisations, which the general public might describe as “barking”, and disoriented movements that appeared like walking on all fours.

Villagers restrained him before bringing him to the hospital in Palanpur, where his treatment was initiated, they said.

However, Dungri’s symptoms of rabies worsened at the hospital, and he became more aggressive. He was then shifted to an isolated ward where he even started biting the iron rods of a window, Dr Joshi said.

Video clips of the patient have gone viral on social media.

The hospital sought the help of the police and forest department to control the patient, including the possible use of dart injections for additional sedation, the official said.

The man was tied with mesh and wire and sedated with an injection. “Currently, his treatment is ongoing,” said Dr Joshi, adding that rabies is almost always fatal once its clinical symptoms appear.

Doctors said the patient had been bitten by a dog nearly three months ago, but did not receive anti-rabies shots, leading to the onset of the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation, rabies is a highly fatal viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, affecting the central nervous system of mammals, including humans.