Kheralu: A 44-year-old woman from Sagthala village in Kheralu taluka died recently after developing symptoms of rabies nearly two months after being scratched by a stray puppy.

According to reports, the woman had sustained a minor scratch from a female dog’s puppy two months ago. However, she began experiencing sudden symptoms, starting with stiffness in the hand that was scratched, which later spread to other parts of her body, resembling paralysis-like conditions.

Later, when she was admitted to Lions Hospital in Mehsana, neurologist Dr. Jay Chaudhary initially suspected symptoms similar to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder. However, upon detailed questioning of her family members, it was revealed that she had been scratched by a puppy. Suspecting rabies, her blood and biopsy samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation. Despite treatment efforts, the woman developed full-blown rabies symptoms and passed away on May 21.

This marks the sixth rabies-related death in Mehsana district since 2019. DeshGujarat