Khotang, November 5
A woman has died of rabies in Khotang. Krishna Maya Thapa, 59, of Batase Ijara in Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality-4, lost her life to the infection.
Thapa had been bitten on the leg by a cat three months earlier. She died on Wednesday, according to Bhupendra Basnet, spokesperson for the rural municipality.
On Monday, Ramesh Yadav, a health assistant at Batase Health Post, examined her and suspected rabies. He referred her to a hospital. Her relatives immediately took her to Birat Teaching Hospital in Biratnagar.
After rabies was confirmed, Birat Teaching Hospital referred her to Nobel Medical College. According to spokesperson Basnet, Nobel refused to admit her, saying treatment was not possible. She died on the way back home. Thapa had told her family that a cat had scratched her leg at night three months ago.
Meanwhile, 28 locals who were involved in taking the patient to hospital or had touched her have been given anti-rabies vaccines. They received the shots at Basic Hospital Okhre on Wednesday.
Yadav, who examined the patient, has also been vaccinated. Ten more people suspected of exposure are yet to receive the vaccine.
The Basic Hospital has run short of vaccines for the second dose. The rural municipality has started coordinating with the provincial government to manage the supply, according to Basnet.
Rural Municipality Chair Lokendra Rai has committed to buying and arranging the vaccines locally if the provincial government fails to provide them.
