Amidst the rising concerns over the quality of anti-rabies vaccine supplied across the State, the State government on Saturday announced the constitution of a medical board to supervise the treatment of the 12-year-old girl , who has been undergoing treatment for rabies at the Government Medical College, Kottayam.
An official statement said Health Minister Veena George had directed the Director of Medical Education to constitute the board by combining experts from different departments.
The 12-year-old girl, a native of Ranni was infected with rabies after being bitten by a stray dog two weeks ago. Though she had been administered anti-rabies vaccine at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital, her condition turned worse by Friday and she was shifted to the Government Medical College hospital here.
Hospital sources said the victim was on ventilator support.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has urged the State government to ensure expert treatment to the girl and bear the cost of her treatment.
“The sterilization of dogs has come to a complete halt over the last two years and the ABC programme is not taking place. The local self governments are not in a position to do this by expending their own funds. Understand the shortcomings and take steps to solve them immediately’‘, said Mr.Satheesan, in a letter to the Chief Minister.
The State has witnessed a sharp uptick in dog bite cases over the past one month , prompting the authorities to launch an anti-rabies vaccine for livestock in several locations. The rise in rabies cases is attributed to the failure of the State in implementing the Animal Birth Control programme while the incidence of rabies deaths has also brought forth questions about efficacy of the vaccines and cold chain management, among other things.
Taking a serious note of the situation, the State government has engaged an expert panel to examine the quality of vaccines supplies in the State, in contradiction to a stance by the Health Minister Veena George that nothing was amiss in the vaccine.
