Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Rabies Confirmed After Stray Dog Kills 84-Year-Old Woman in Kerala

Confirmation of infection prompted treatment for those exposed, fueling fresh demands for effective stray-dog control.

Overview

  • A solitary stray entered a Vellarakkad home on Thursday evening, fatally mauling bedridden Karthiyani, 84, and injuring her 60-year-old son Devadasan.
  • Residents tracked the dog around 2 a.m. Friday and killed it, and veterinarians later confirmed it was rabies-infected.
  • A post-mortem found the woman died from a bite to the neck, and Erumapetty police registered a case of unnatural death.
  • Police said the dog also bit three other people and three dogs; the health department gave anti-rabies shots to the injured and placed the animals under observation.
  • The son was treated at Thrissur Medical College Hospital and discharged, as residents and associations pressed local bodies for urgent, practical controls on strays.