Badaun’s panic refuses to ease: Buffalo’s dog bite becomes village scare; villagers line up for anti-rabies shots

BAREILLY: More than 200 residents of Pipraul village in Badaun district suddenly queued up in large groups at a local health centre for precautionary anti-rabies vaccines after widespread speculation that 'raita', a side dish made up of yogurt, served at a funeral feast was from a buffalo which had died due to rabies after being bitten by a 'mad' dog.The feast was held on Dec 23 in memory of late Oran Sahu, a resident of Pipraul -- a village with a population of around 1,800 people, as per official records. Locals said villagers from nearby settlements also attended the 'tehravi' ceremony. One of them said that the buffalo belonged to Sahu's cousin who used its milk to prepare the 'raita' dish. Three days later, the buffalo died, sparking panic in and around the village."People are anxious because no one knows much about rabies, and there is more hearsay than facts spreading here... Nearly 250 residents have taken the anti-rabies vaccine already, and others are lining up to do the same. Most of them have left all their work to get this done first," said Deepak Kumar, husband of village pradhan Renu Devi. He added villagers were particularly worried since the dog -- believed to have bitten the cattle -- could not be traced.Also, the buffalo was buried soon after its death without a postmortem, leaving health officials without a clue regarding the exact cause, Kumar said.A medical team has since been stationed in the village to monitor the situation and counsel residents. Health authorities said that they are vaccinating anyone seeking "precautionary protection".Budaun's chief medical officer, Dr Rameshwar Mishra, said, "In two days, 247 residents from Pipraul came to our facility for vaccinations en masse. On Monday alone, 110 people got the shots. Counselling is also underway, and villagers are being advised not to panic."Experts, meanwhile, said that current evidence does not support the widespread belief that rabies can be transmitted through milk.Dr Abhijeet Pawde, principal scientist and in-charge of IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute) Polyclinic, told TOI, "Studies so far do not conclusively show milk consumption as a mode of rabies transmission. No scientific literature confirms that rabies passes into milk in such cases. Transmission risk is higher via direct exposure to saliva or tissue."