12-Year-Old Thane Boy Dies Weeks After Dog Bite, Hospital Says He Received Anti-Rabies Shots

A 12-year-old boy from Maharashtra’s Thane district who was bitten by a dog died several weeks later, even though he had received anti-rabies injections, his family has said, prompting the local MLA to allege negligence by government hospitals.

The government hospital where the child was taken soon after the dog bite said he was administered anti-rabies vaccines along with tetanus injection.

The boy, a resident of Bhiwandi, was bitten by a dog on January 10, after which his family rushed him to the state-run IGM Hospital in the area. He was later referred to Thane Civil Hospital and subsequently brought back to the Bhiwandi facility, from where he was discharged and taken home.

Later, the boy’s condition deteriorated after a few weeks. He was rushed

to a civic hospital in Mumbai, where he died on January 30.

According to a doctor from IGM Hospital, the boy was given anti-rabies and tetanus injections after he was brought there for the first time. It is still not clear if he died due dog bite or some other reason, according to local doctors.

Bhiwandi MLA Rais Shaikh, who is from the Samajwadi Party, said “stray dogs and resultant deaths” have become a concern. He claimed a shortage of medicines at government hospitals in the area and accused the staff of negligence.

“I’ll raise this issue in the assembly,” he said on Saturday.

(With inputs from PTI)