3 days ago
One more dies after animal attack in Barwani, toll reaches 6
Barwani: One more person bitten by a mysterious rabid animal in Barwani district died on Monday, taking the death toll to six in the last 11 days. Angered villagers of Limbai village in Rajpur subdivision and others blocked the highway and demonstrated for the search of the animal and compensation.
District collector Guncha Sanobar said that all five people admitted to the isolation ward of MY Hospital in Indore returned to Limbai against the advice of doctors. "In this, 40-year-old Sunil was being taken to the district hospital when his condition worsened, but he died before reaching there," she said. She added that the remaining affected people are being monitored by a team of medical staff.
Six villagers (four men and two women), aged between 40 to 70 years, died in the last 11 days.
Collector Guncha Sanobar reached Limbai village with revenue, forest, and health officials and met the family members of the injured and deceased, assuring them of all possible help. The collector also gave instructions to get the vaccine tested if people die despite taking the anti-rabies vaccine. The team of doctors from Khandwa Medical College also conducted health check-ups of the injured.
Villagers of Limbai, in anger, set out on foot to meet the Barwani collector on Monday, but officials stopped them at Rajpur, 7 km away.
In response, they blocked the Khandwa Vadodara highway in Rajpur. The villagers also reached the forest department office and raised slogans demanding that the unknown animal be caught and compensation of Rs 15 lakh be given. They claimed that three cows also died due to the bite of the unknown animal.
Barwani divisional forest officer Ashish Bansod said that the unknown animal is being searched for on a war footing and more staff is being deployed to find it.
He said that apart from searching with drones and trap cameras, cages are also being installed for this purpose. He told TOI that the animal could not be traced at the moment, but based on the statements of villagers, considering it to be a jackal, a case has been prepared to give compensation of Rs 8 lakh to the family of each deceased.
It is worth mentioning that on May 5 in Limbai village of Rajpur, an unknown animal bit 17 people sleeping outside.
Block medical officer of Rajpur, Dr Devendra Romde, told TOI that the medical college team checked Sunil (who died today) and gave an opinion of clear symptoms of rabies. Dr Romde said that the fourth anti-rabies injections to 11 remaining persons will be administered on Tuesday (28th day).
