Kannur, Kerala: One more rabies death has been reported in the state. A five-year-old boy, Harith, from Kannur, died after suffering a severe dog bite to the eye and surrounding areas. Stitches had to be applied even on the eyelids. When a person is bitten on the face, head or neck, the virus can reach the brain very quickly. The child had only received three doses of the anti-rabies vaccine. The fourth dose was scheduled for Saturday. It is believed that the rabies virus had already reached his brain before that.

Timely vaccination remains the most crucial factor in preventing rabies. The rabies virus travels slowly through the nerves to the brain, where it multiplies and leads to death. Once the virus reaches the brain, it becomes nearly impossible to control. That is why vaccines are administered in advance to neutralise the virus.

Face has higher nerve density

Normally, the virus takes about two months to reach the brain. However, if bitten on the face, hands or other areas with dense nerve presence, the chance of the dog’s saliva coming into contact with nerves increases. The virus then travels rapidly through the nervous system to the brain. In rare cases, the vaccine may fail if there is a deep wound of this nature.

Wash for 15 minutes

If bitten by a dog, all wounds should be washed for at least 15 minutes with running tap water or under a stream of water using soap. This helps deactivate the virus that may be hiding in the dog’s saliva on the wound. Proper washing can reduce the risk of infection by up to 80 per cent.