DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇵 Nepal /Health & Science

Weeks after dog bite, man dies of rabies

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A 48-year-old man in Nepal died of rabies weeks after a puppy bite, as his family could not find the vaccine.
  • Health facilities across Nepal are facing an acute shortage of rabies vaccines, forcing victims to buy from private pharmacies.
  • Officials are restricted from speaking about the shortage, while doctors warn of rising rabies deaths due to delayed vaccination.

A 48-year-old man from Chandragiri Municipality died of rabies on Saturday, weeks after being bitten by a puppy. Doctors at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital said the man was not administered the rabies vaccine because his family could not find it at nearby health facilities. They also underestimated the risk, believing a puppy bite was not serious.

We all thought that it was not necessary to administer a vaccine since it was just a puppy.

— Family memberExplaining the decision not to seek immediate rabies vaccination after a puppy bite.

"If the vaccine had been available at the nearby health facilities, we might not have lost him," a health worker quoted a family member as saying. This sentiment highlights a critical issue: an acute shortage of rabies vaccines in state-run health facilities across Nepal. This scarcity has been ongoing for months, putting dog bite victims at severe risk.

Officials are under strict orders not to speak about the vaccine shortage. "The reality is that we don’t have doses to administer to dog bite victims, and we are strictly restricted from speaking about the vaccine shortage," one health worker told The Kathmandu Post, requesting anonymity for fear of government reprisal. Another health worker noted that dog bite victims are often forced to buy vaccines from private pharmacies when government facilities run out.

If the vaccine had been available at the nearby health facilities, we might not have lost him.

— Family memberExpressing regret over the lack of vaccine availability.

Rabies is preventable with timely vaccination, but it is almost always fatal once clinical symptoms appear. Sukraraj Hospital alone sees over 500 dog bite victims daily seeking anti-rabies vaccination. The shortage has forced the hospital to stop administering the second dose in its emergency department, asking patients to return during OPD hours. Doctors warn that delays could lead to a significant rise in rabies deaths, particularly among working-class individuals more exposed to stray dogs and less able to afford private treatment.

The reality is that we don’t have doses to administer to dog bite victims, and we are strictly restricted from speaking about the vaccine shortage.

— Health workerDescribing the critical shortage and official gag order.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog