Alright I’ve tried to let out my anger/depression through various ways but it’s just not subsiding.
I’m posted in the emergency ward these days. We were taught of Rabies on Day One of our joining. We took it as any other disease or illness. We smiled and smirked when the teacher told us that during the last stage of the illness, the patient barks and bites like a rabid dog. We gave a 5-second thought to the hows and whys of “hydrophobia”. We half paid attention to the pre/post exposure methods of vaccination and then we moved on with our routine I/V’s and I/M’s. Nothing unusual.
A week ago, a family came rushing in with the child having minute fits around the head and neck. The father informed us k the child had been bit by a dog THREE MONTHS AGO. The local doctor (in Larkana) did not care enough to immediately vaccinate the child against the rabies virus. Instead the ‘parchi’ had anti-tetanus written on it. The mother, accidentally, told us kay “jo doctar sahab injection bata rahay they woh bohat mehnga tha ham log nahi khareed saktay they”
Since the bite was around the region of the lower right foot, it had taken this long for the virus to travel upto the brain and for the symptoms to appear. We checked for hydrophobia to make sure the diagnosis was correct. The child, a boy of eleven, flinched at the sight of water. He simply refused to even look at it. As the glass was brought close to him, he immediately had powerful convulsions.
A few hours later, the convulsions increased in intensity and frequency. He displayed some biting and barking type behaviour and yet cried the whole time saying :" Abba, maria ko salaam kehna, saqib ko pyaar karna, dadi ko pooch layna, etc ". We had to isolate the child immediately as his saliva was contaminated and his attempts to bite those attending him would have been hazardous.
The family took the child back home when it learned that there is no cure at this stage and eventually the convulsions will become so strong as to result in his death in a days time.
Most of us cried throughout that time and intensly hated the the teacher for mocking us and telling us that the only thing we could do was to pray for the child’s merciful death.
Two days later, another child with a history of a dog bite going back 18 days. Again, had not been vaccinated – this time the “parchi” clearly stated – socio-economic condition does not allow patient to afford vaccination costs.
This time though, we did not cry. We felt down for about an hour at max and then went about with our business.
For the past week, 6 cases have been reported and God knows just how many before that! (and oh, just how many more to come!)
The vaccination for rabies costs about 10 grand rupees per patient. How can the sabzi wala from sakkhar or the mazdoor from korangi afford it???
Maybe, just maybe he’ll sell all his belongings for the sake of his child IF HE is AWARE of the end results of this disease.
First, the government claims to provide a limited number of vaccines to the civil hospitals for the unfortunate who cannot afford it. Does the emergecny ward recieve any?? No!
Second, the government sends media (Geo, ARY, KTN, etc) to the ward to have the incharge state on air that he has recieved the rabies vaccination from the gov’t funds. Yearrite.
Third, the lethal powder that is inserted into capsules which are fed to stray dogs (capsules are inserted into gulab jamuns) during the “kutta maar mohim” costs about 40 grand rupees per kg. Usually, the capsules are fit into the gulab jamuns minus the powder. Wonder where the 40 grand went. At the end, the hi-fi sale of the mithai walas make the headlines of the paper.
Fourth, there is no national awareness of the consequences of such a lethal, yet preventable disease. People are just so ignorant on this topic that it hurts to even realize this fact.
It has been estimated that about 25,000 people die of rabies each year in this country adn to think - this can be PREVENTED!!!
There is just soo much more that can be said, like the pharmacuetical companies that market this vaccine and the allegations upon them about raising stray dogs and putting them on the streets just so the demand for their vaccines increases.
This is just ONE of the issues that I’ve come across which needs to be handled from the very top to the very bottom, there are so many more, but the sight of that child going through seizures and barking was heart breaking.
Sorry about this long post, just had to let it out.
