Man dies of rabies in Mantova, Italy

An Indian national, living and working in Italy, died ofrabies recently. He had returned to India for a brief visit to see his nephews enter university. During the visit he was bitten on the arm and leg by a rabid dog. Post-exposure vaccines were administered immediately but rabies immunoglobulin was not.

Rabies vaccines are effective but it takes time for our bodies to produce antibodies. Immunoglobin delivers the anti-bodies immediately.It is usually injected into the wound and helps mop-up the virus before it takes hold. But rabies immunoglobin is expensive and worldwide shortages contribute to thousands of deaths every year. In this case, the absence of immunoglobin cost this man his life.