In Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, an eight-year-old girl died two weeks after being bitten by a stray dog. The woman’s mother allegedly used home remedies to treat the child instead of anti-rabies vaccine.

Dr Jitendra Verma, head of the community health centre (CHC), Bah block, claimed the family had come to the centre for treatment and was referred to SN Medical College. They, however, ignored his advice. She passed away while being taken to the hospital.

The doctor told PTI the girl was bitten by a stray dog 10-15 days back. She had only informed about the incident to her mother, who used home remedies to treat her.

The victim was a resident of Bah block’s Chausangi village and her father is a labourer. Her mother is a housewife.

The doctor said anti-rabies vaccines should be administered within 24 hours. The second dose should be given on the third day, third on the seventh day and the last on the seventh 28th day.

“The symptoms of dog-bites are hydrophobia (fear of water), pain in the neck and vomiting,” he added.

The incident happened days after industrialist Parag Desai died after sustaining a head injury following an attack by stray dogs. He was on a stroll near his house in Gujarat when he injured his head while trying to ward off stray dogs. He died a week later at a hospital.

With inputs from PTI