Around 450 people who consumed ‘charanamrit’ prepared from a cow’s milk during Durga Puja in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district have received anti-rabies vaccine after the animal died amid suspicions that it had been bitten by a stray dog, officials said on Thursday.
The cow’s owner, Navami Yadav, said the animal had appeared unwell for one or two days before its condition deteriorated on Tuesday. He consulted private veterinarians Bechan Singh and Hardev Yadav, as well as a doctor at the Dadi Khas veterinary hospital. Veterinary assessment and appropriate testing were required to establish the cause, he added. Rabies transmission through drinking milk alone is not an established route of infection.
another 400 were vaccinated during Wednesday’s camp, the officials said While around 50 people received the vaccine at a community health centre (CHC) on Tuesday.
Veterinarian Siddiqui, posted in Dadi, said the cow’s symptoms raised suspicion of rabies, but symptoms alone could not confirm the disease. However, people concerned about possible exposure to saliva or other potentially infectious material should promptly seek medical assessment to determine whether post-exposure prophylaxis is required, he said.
