17-year-old dies of rabies in Alappuzha

Kottayam: A 17-year-old boy died of rabies at the govt medical college hospital (MCH) in Vandanam in Alappuzha on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Thakazhy native Sooraj, son of Sarith and Geetha, who was a Plus Two student at Thakazhy devaswom board school. According to relatives, the teenager was bitten by a stray dog last month after which he approached a local doctor for treatment.

However, Sooraj was bitten again last week, this time by a relative's pet dog, after which he showed some uneasiness and was taken to a private hospital in Thakazhy. Though Sooraj was referred to the MCH on Wednesday, he passed away on Friday morning.

According to relatives, Sooraj did not worry about the dog bite since the pet was vaccinated. Sooraj was cremated as per health protocol on Friday.