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Young Scientist Award for MKCG medical college teacher

D. Shobha Malini with patients at MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur on Monday.

BERHAMPUR: D. Shobha Malini, assistant professor of community medicine in the MKCG medical college in the city, has received the Young Scientist Award from the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI).

She got this award for her research on the causes and impact of late reporting of rabies cases. Her research was based on the data collected from the MKCG medical college hospital, the only referral hospital in south Orissa. Although rabies is a fatal disease people remain ignorant about its lethality. A person infected by rabies dies a painful death due to hydrophobia.

Rabies is a viral neuroinvasive disease which causes acute inflammation of the brain leading to sure death. This viral disease is zoonotic which means it is mostly transmitted through bite of an infected animal. The fact that has come out of Dr Malini’s research is quiet alarming. According to her 29.8 per cent of the persons suspected to be bitten by any rabid animal are late in arriving for medical intervention. Sixteen per cent of the persons bitten by rabid animals reach hospitals a month after getting infected.

The patients bitten by rabid animals are given rabies vaccine over a period of 28 days. This series of vaccine is provided free of cost at all district and subdivisional hospitals in the State. The patients with category three bites or extreme cases have to be given Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) in the region of bite.

Dr Malini, who is also eastern zone representative in the APCRI, pointed out that most people irrespective of their social, economic and educational status were ignorant that all animals except rats could be rabid. But people come for medical intervention only if they are bitten by dogs. Bites from domestic cats and dogs as well as wild bears or foxes can lead to rabies. Belief on superstitious practices and quacks usually prevents the rural folk as well as ignorant urbanites from seeking medical intervention in time in case of an animal bite.

The indefinite incubation period of rabies virus in human body which can range from a few weeks to a few years usually makes a person feel he is free from rabies without any medical intervention. Dr Malini had come across a case of rabies in MKCG medical college, where the virus had shown up after six years of animal bite. She also added another alarming fact that due to ignorance some doctors in rural areas are not referring category three rabies patients for RIG administration.

Death is almost sure after two to 10 days of showing up of first flu-like symptoms related to rabies.

But these can occur after two weeks or after a few years. According to Dr Malini no human has survived this lethal disease.

“The mantra that can save many is that any animal bite can be rabid and it needs medical intervention rather than quackery,” said Dr Malini.

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