RAJAHMUNDRY:The series of rabies deaths in the Godavari districts has jolted the health establishment into taking an inventory of anti-rabies vaccine stocks in government health centres across the state. In the last 20 days, six rabies-affilicted patients have died in the Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH) at Rajahmundry and the Government General Hospital (GGH) at Kakinada).During April 3 to 25, hospitals in the two districts reported running out of supplies and many dog bite victims were turned away to private hospitals. Some of the victims were too poor to purchase the vaccine at private stores.The spurt of rabies deaths triggered protests by political parties and the government directed the Central Drug Stores (CDS) at Hyderabad to rush stocks to hospitals in the Godavari districts. The CDS at Kakinada supplied as many as 8,400 vials of Rabipur during April and May. Some 2,600 vials were sent to GHQH at Rajahmundry, 2,000 to GGH at Kakinada, 920 to nine area hospitals and the remaining to 84 primary health centres.Special counters to dispense ARV vials were put to work round the clock at GGH Kakinada and GHQH Rajahmundry. However, the problem is confounded by the absence of doctors. If a dog-bite victim comes to a hospital in the afternoon, doctors ask him or her to come back the next day, saying ARV vaccine is not available in the out-patient department. But district health and medical officer Dr D Vijay Kumar said ARV stocks are available in all hospitals in the district.Dog-bite victims queue up for treatmentKARIMNAGAR: There has been no outbreak of rabies in Karimnagar district
so far, but the deaths reported in the Godavari districts have served to
bring the focus on the proliferation of stray dogs and monkeys in the
villages here. Moreover, district health authorities have been alerted
to monitor the inventory of ARV in primary health centers (PHCs),
dispensaries and civil hospitals. Due to the rabies scare, hospitals
are reporting the rush of dog-bite victims where they might have
ignored treatment earlier. At the Karimangar Civil Hospital on Friday,
dog- and monkey-bite victims queued up at the vaccination room.According
to DHMO Dr. Vishn Mohan, about 1500 vials of the ARV have been kept
ready at various health centres. However, some PHCs in Kamalapur,
Dharamaram and Bejjanki mandals had no stocks of ARV. Officials said
the vaccine would be rushed to any PHC if need be. Concurrently, the
local municipality has been spurred to take up sterilization of stray
dogs.
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