Woman dies of rabies after dog bite at Gandhinagar school

A 50-year-old married woman employed at a notable school in Gandhinagar has died of rabies, months after a suspected dog bite on the school premises, officials reported. Her father was a former civil servant in the Gujarat government who retired in 2001.

As per reports, the woman had been bitten or infected around four months ago while playing with a ‘beagle’ belonging to one of the school staff. She was reportedly unaware of the bite or infection at the time.

The dog later died on October 17 after displaying symptoms consistent with rabies. In late December, the woman began showing signs of the disease and was admitted on December 30 to a private hospital near Bhat, where she was undergoing treatment. She died on the morning of January 17.

Her body was taken to the Sector-30 crematorium in Gandhinagar and cremated in an electric furnace, following strict safety protocols. Officials at the crematorium said the body was sealed due to the infectious nature of rabies and was not permitted to be opened.

Following the death of the dog, school authorities issued messages to parents and staff, advising anyone who may have come in contact with the animal to seek immediate vaccination. 

The school is also reported to have arranged rabies vaccines.

However, it has been reported that when a health team visited the school a few days ago, management stated that no such incident had occurred on the premises.