'Seemed completely fine': 6-year-old girl dies of rabies despite treatment in Thane; raises questions on stray dog control

THANE: A six-year-old girl bitten by a community dog in Diva last month died of rabies on Sunday at Mumbai’s Kasturba Hospital, despite completing a month-long post-bite treatment at the KDMC-run Shastrinagar Hospital.

Her parents said Nisha was playing outside her home on the night of Nov 17 when a dog attacked her, biting her on the shoulder and cheeks. She was taken to a local doctor and later referred to Shastrinagar Hospital, where doctors initiated the standard anti-rabies protocol.


“She received all the mandatory injections on time and had no complications,” said her mother, Sushma Shinde, fighting tears. “She seemed completely fine. We even celebrated her birthday on Dec 3.”

The situation changed abruptly on Dec 16, a day after Nisha received the final antirabies vaccine dose. She developed fever, headache, extreme weakness and showed sudden behavioural changes. “She began banging her head against the bed and scratching anyone who came near her,” Sushma said. The family rushed her back to Shastrinagar Hospital, from where she was referred to Kasturba Hospital for advanced care.

Admitted on Dec 18, Nisha was verbally informed that Nisha was showing symptoms of rabies, with doctors cautioning that her chances of survival were slim. “Still, we hoped for the best. She even asked for her favourite dal-rice the night before,” her mother said. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, her oxygen levels dropped, and she was declared dead on Sunday.

The family is seeking answers. “We followed the treatment exactly as advised. We don’t want any other family to suffer like this,” said her uncle, Deva Kadam.

Activists have blamed civic apathy and poor stray dog management. “This is the second reported dog-bite incident in the suburb; many cases go unreported,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rohidas Munde. “The incident raises serious concerns about treatment protocols, medicine quality, and administrative accountability. We have demanded a transparent probe.”

KDMC medical health officer Dr Deepa Shukla said the prescribed protocol -- including anti-rabies vaccine, immunoglobulin and tetanus toxoid -- was followed. “The child returned on Dec 17 with high-grade fever. Our paediatric experts suspected rabies and immediately referred her to Kasturba Hospital,” she said, adding that detailed reports from both hospitals are awaited. Kasturba Hospital is yet to respond. Dr Prasad Patil, TMC’s medical health officer said the incident could possibly be the first rabies death reported in recent years in TMC limits.

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