It was a regular day for 12-year-old Gourav Uniyal* on February 14 when he was returning from his boxing and taekwondo class in a neighbourhood park in the Saket area of south Delhi along with his 14-year-old brother Ayush*. The two brothers were five minutes away from their house when a stray dog grabbed Gourav’s right leg and bit deep into it. Unknown to them, the dog had attacked another man an hour ago. As friends from the park tried to free his legs from the dog’s mouth, there was a five-minute struggle. By then, Gourav’s legs had been lacerated and he had lost the tissue covering his bone. By the time Ayush and friends brought a bleeding Gourav back to the house, a security guard told his mother Sandhya that the dog had died. “I knew that if a dog dies shortly after biting a human, it could be an indication that it had rabies. I rushed Gourav to Max Hospital in Saket in the next 10 minutes where he was given rabies and tetanus shots,” she says. That quick reaction and a subsequent debridement -- a medical procedure to remove damaged, dead, or infected tissue from a wound to promote healing -- saved the boy. What should be the first response after a dog bite? Gourav’s wound was washed with saline solution. He was given rabies immune globulin, which is used together with the rabies vaccine to prevent infection. He was administered tetanus shots, too, to prevent an infection which can be possibly caused by tiny bacteria that live in the soil, dust and poop. They can enter the body through broken skin. “Rabies is fully preventable if the right treatment is given promptly after exposure. Once inside the body, the virus travels slowly along the nerves towards the brain. Because the virus remains at the site initially before spreading along nerve pathways, there is a brief window to act. It is important to neutralise the virus at the wound site to offer immediate protection, before patients start producing their own protective levels of neutralising antibodies for anti-rabies vaccination,” says Dr Ravish HS, professor of community medicine, KIMS, Bengaluru. Dr Sunil Choudhary, chief of plastic surgery at Max Hospital, assessed the wound and found that the skin, tissue and fat had been gouged out badly and exposed the muscle. “In such cases of an animal bite, we do debridement to take out the infected tissue quickly so that they do not have a residual effect, improve blood flow to the wound and allow healthy tissue to be regenerated,” he says. Getting the leg back in shape Since the wound was gaping, Dr Choudhary grafted tissue from his thigh. “This was done to ensure that he was not disfigured. But the boy will need more reconstructions later,” he says. He prescribed pain medication to manage discomfort during the initial recovery phase. He then put the boy on physical therapy to restore range of motion and function. It has been seven months since the incident but the boy gets strong sensations in the wound from time to time because some of his nerves were badly affected. “He has now diverted his focus towards studies as he cannot play boxing and taekwondo,” says Sandhya. “Dog bite victims may experience fear of dogs or anxiety related to social situations, especially if the bite was severe or disfiguring. Counseling or therapy can help manage these emotions,” adds Dr Choudhary. Myths and facts about rabies One common myth is that only bites from visibly sick or aggressive dogs can cause rabies. “Fact is even seemingly healthy dogs may be carrying the virus, and even small scratches or licks on broken skin can transmit it. Every bite or scratch from a potentially rabid animal should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider immediately,” advises Dr Ravish. Another widespread myth is that treatment can be delayed or replaced by traditional methods like applying chilli, oils or herbal pastes. “These are ineffective and may worsen the wound. Delays give the virus more time to spread inside the body, reducing the chances of prevention,” says Dr Ravish. India has seen a concerning rise in dog bite incidents — from 2.1 million in 2022 to 3.7 million in 2024. This surge emphasizes two urgent needs: strengthening healthcare capacity and increasing public awareness. “Communities must understand that rabies prevention is everyone’s responsibility, and healthcare systems must ensure instant access to vaccines and trained professionals to administer them correctly,” adds Dr Ravish. Indian vaccine manufacturers are producing around 100,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine each month, distributing to high-incidence areas, and planning to increase capacity by 15–20% by FY26. “Parallel improvements in cold chain logistics and training programmes will help ensure timely access for every patient. Only then can India achieve the goal of ending dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030,” says Dr Ravish. *Names have been changed to protect privacy
