Death of three people feared to be caused by rabies in four days panicked the people of Dariakandi and Khuriagram at Kathalia in the Narsingdi district headquarters, residents said.
The deceased were bitten by a cat more than two months ago and one of them received treatment late in Infectious Diseases Hospital at Mohakhali in Dhaka, families said.
The first victim, 13-year-old Sima, was bitten by the cat near her house at Khuriagram on September 9, three days before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Five others, including Sima’s cousin Abul Hashem Miah, 10, his rickshaw-puller father Bacchu Miah, 45, hotel boy Humayun Kabir, 18, farmer Rahim Molla, 28, and housewife Momtaz Begum, 35, were bitten by the cat the same day.
The villagers beat to death the cat the next day, witnesses said.
The day after the incident, Sima was taken to Infectious Diseases Hospital where she was administered some medicines and asked to report to the hospital after Eid holidays.
Sima did not return to the hospital but had fever on November 12. She was then taken to Infectious Diseases Hospital again. She was administered two injections and was asked to take four more every 48 hours.
‘But she died on November 15, two days before Eid-ul-Azha,’ Sima’s father Mohammad Kabir Hossain said.
A day later, Sima’s cousin Hashem Miah also had fever and started being afraid of water. He was taken to the nearby Araihazar upazila health complex about midnight, the family said.
On way to the health complex, Hashem bit his
father on the shoulder and died.
Rickshaw-puller Bacchu Miah, who was also bitten by the cat in the leg, is the latest to have died in connection with the incident on Friday. Before his death, Bacchu was admitted to Araihazar upazila Health complex on November 23 with a case history of a week’s fever.
‘In the case history, Bacchu did not mention about the animal bite and being bitten by his son,’ said Gazi Jahangir, a physician at the health complex.
Bacchu’s wife Amena Begum said her husband had left the health complex on Thursday saying that he would go to Dhaka for treatment, but started vomitting and died on Friday. Bacchu had also bitten her in the hand, she said.
Among other cat bite victims, hotel boy Humayun Kabir was taking injection against possible case of rabies while the other two — farmer Rahim Molla and housewife Momtaz Begum — were taking homeopathic and herbal treatment because of superstitions and poverty, the families said.
Aubergine flower with molasses taken in the morning is the traditional treatment of animal bites in the area, villagers said.
Physicians warned that all who had been bitten or shared food with the victims should take immediate treatment for rabies.
Narsingdi’s civil surgeon Abdur Rashid on Saturday told New Age he was yet to have details on the cases of suspected rabies infection. He said an officer had been assigned to collect information.
The sadar upazila health and family planning officer, Najib said, they had received reports of two deaths because of rabies in the area till Friday.
