Alipurduar, Sept. 3 -- Fear of rabies has gripped Milan Palli in East Chakchaka, Barobisha, after around 300 residents consumed prasad prepared with milk supplied by a cow whose calf was later diagnosed with rabies. On Thursday, anxious residents queued for hours at Kamakhyaguri Rural Hospital, nearly 10 km away, to receive anti-rabies vaccinations.
The incident took place in Kumargram block of Alipurduar district. Last Saturday, local women organised a Shani Puja at a neighbourhood temple. Milk collected from residents was used to prepare prasad, which was distributed among devotees after the puja.
Around 300 people reportedly consumed it.
Panic broke out on Tuesday night when a calf belonging to local resident Sanjay Sarkar began behaving abnormally. A veterinary doctor examined the animal on Wednesday and confirmed that it had contracted rabies, advising the family to keep it isolated.
Milk from Sarkar's cow had also been supplied to prepare the prasad. After residents learnt about the calf's diagnosis, many rushed to Kamakhyaguri Rural Hospital from Thursday morning for vaccination.
Sarkar said the family had no idea that the calf had contracted rabies and that they too had consumed the prasad. Residents have also requested a health camp in the locality. Hospital sources said around 100 people who consumed the prasad received anti-rabies vaccines on Thursday, most of them women.
A specialist doctor at Alipurduar District Hospital said rabies is generally transmitted when infected saliva enters the body through a wound or mucous membrane. The doctor said there would have been little reason for concern if the milk had been boiled, but advised vaccination as a precaution since raw milk was used.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.