Ludhiana boy conceals dog bite, dies of rabies 20 days later
Instead of taking him to a doctor, the victim was taken to a quack, and then to a witch doctor as they believed he had been possessed by evil spirits after he started behaving abnormally
An 11-year-old boy who concealed a dog bite from his parents died of rabies a few hours after he was diagnosed on Sunday, 20 days after he was bitten.
The victim, Arjun, who lives in the slums on the outskirts of Jaspal Bangar village, had told his parents that he had injured his leg while playing, while he had in fact sustained a dog bite.
An ex-serviceman, Lakhwinder Singh, who lives in the village, said, “Arjun started behaving abnormally a few days ago. Instead of taking him to a doctor, the family took Arjun to a quack, and then to a witch doctor as they believed he had been possessed by evil spirits.”
The victim’s health deteriorated further on Sunday and he started frothing at his mouth. This time, the family took Arjun to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with rabies, but he died a few hours later. His body was handed over to the family after postmortem.
The incident came to light after health officials probed the death. The victim’s father Haimraj and mother Parvati blamed the stray dog menace in the area for their son’s death. “The stray dog population is on the rise. Canines enter the slum area in search of food and attack children.”