8-year-old girl, bitten by stray dog, dies in Agra

Agra: An eight-year-old girl, who was bitten by a stray dog in Agra about two weeks ago, died on Saturday, an official said on Tuesday. The girl's mother allegedly used home remedies instead of anti-rabies vaccine(ARV). 

Dr Jitendra Verma, head of the community health centre (CHC), Bah block, told PTI the girl was brought to the centre at the last time and the family initially ignored the advice to take her to SN Medical College in Agra for treatment. The girl died on the way while being taken to SN Medical College when her condition deteriorated. 

'The girl was bitten by a stray dog about 10-15 days ago. She did not inform about the incident to anyone in her family except her mother. Her mother applied home remedies, but when the girl's condition deteriorated, they brought her to the CHC on Saturday,' he added. 

The girl was the resident of Bah block's Chausangi village. Her father Dharmendra Singh works as a labourer, and her mother is a housewife.

Dr Verma said, 'After the dog-bite, the first dose of ARV should be given to the victim within 24 hours. After that, another dose should be given on the third day and thereafter on the seventh day. The last dose should be given on the 28th day.' 

'The symptoms of dog-bites are hydrophobia (fear of water), pain in the neck and vomiting,' he added.