The death of a buffalo calf due to suspected rabies in a village in Telangana's Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district has sent panic among villagers. The health authorities on Saturday administered anti-rabies vaccines to 300 people in Chintalamanepally mandal headquarters. The vaccine camp was arranged after the death of a calf after drinking the milk of a mother buffalo, which was bitten by a rabid dog.
According to villagers, the buffalo of a dairy farmer was bitten by a dog a few days ago but he did not administer an anti-rabies vaccine. The farmer continued supplying the buffalo milk to villagers. In the meantime, a calf which was depending on mother buffalo's milk, died. This caused panic among the villagers, who approached the gram panchayat office. The village officials arranged a special camp and asked all the villagers to take the vaccine.
Stray dog menace has already created a scare in many parts of the state. Four children have lost their lives in three months. An eight-year-old child was mauled to death by stray dogs on Friday in Warangal district. This was the second incident in Warangal district. A child had succumbed to his injuries sustained in an attack by stray dogs last month. A four-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Hyderabad on February 19.
A five-year-old boy succumbed to rabies in Khammam district in March. He was bitten by stray dogs and later developed symptoms of rabies.