UP girl succumbs to dog bite after a fortnight

Agra, Oct 24 (IANS) An 8-year-old girl, attacked by stray dogs in Bah block of Uttar Pradesh's Agra district about two weeks ago, succumbed to the injuries.

The incident took place when the girl was going to a nearby grocery shop. She informed her parents about it after returning home but she was not immediately taken to a hospital.

Doctors said the child was not given anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) soon after she was attacked by the strays.

They added that when her condition deteriorated on Sunday, she was rushed to the Bah community health centre. Seeing her in a critical state, the doctors referred her to Agra's SN Medical College on Monday.

The girl was declared “brought dead” there.

The girl's father, Dharmendra Singh, a farmer, said, “My child had a minor wound caused by a dog bite. I thought it would heal within a few days. A similar incident happened to another child in my neighbourhood and the boy is doing fine. But my child's health started deteriorating suddenly. She had a high fever and was unable to speak.”

Bah CHC superintendent Dr Jitendra Kumar said, “The child was brought to hospital after 15 days. She got infected with rabies and died soon after. Treatment at home proved fatal. In case of dog, cat and monkey bites, it is important to administer ARV right away.”