Rabies takes life of father and son after being bitten by pet dog in Bheemili

A retired RTC employee and his son tragically succumbed to suspected rabies after being bitten by their pet dog in the Bheemili area of Visakhapatnam, resulting in the tragic deaths of both. The victims, Allipilli Narsinga Rao (59) and his 28-year-old son Ananth Guru Bhargav, a contract employee in the railways, died within four days of each other. Locals mentioned that Narsinga had been bedridden for the past nine months due to paralysis. The incident took place on May 29 in the fishermen-dominated colony of Yeguvapeta, when the dog suddenly attacked the family members.

Bhargav, his mother, and his bedridden father were bitten by the dog, which was subsequently taken away by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) staff after being notified by the family. Bhargav initially received treatment at a private hospital before being admitted to a government hospital. According to the death report from the chest and communicable diseases hospital in the city, Bhargav was admitted on June 21 and died on June 22 due to cardiopulmonary arrest caused by suspected rabies. His father, Narsinga, passed away on June 25.

Alongside the two rabies-induced human deaths in Visakhapatnam, the dog that bit them died a few days after being taken by GVMC staff. It was kept in a separate enclosure for dogs where it exhibited symptoms of rabies and later died. Dr G Kalyana Chakravarthy, a doctor at Bheemili urban health center who initially treated the victims, indicated that Bhargav’s death might have been caused by rabies. “After noticing rabies symptoms in their pet dog, the family requested GVMC authorities to take the animal away,” he stated.

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