Speculation that the recent human rabies deaths in the State might have been due to the poor quality of anti-rabies vaccine and serum administered to the victims has been partially laid to rest, with the State receiving information that the samples of rabies immunoglobulin serum sent to the Central Drug Laboratories (CDL) have cleared the quality tests. The results of the anti-rabies vaccine samples sent from the State to CDL for quality testing are awaited.
The widespread speculation that the quality of biologicals (vaccine and immunoglobulin serum) used for rabies treatment in the State might be suspect rose following the death of six persons, who contracted human rabies following dog bites despite having been administered the anti-rabies vaccine and serum (vaccination was partial in the case of one person).
Experts’ opinion
Many public health experts maintained that the nature of the wounds and the failure in immediate and proper wound management might have proved to be dangerous in the case of the human rabies deaths, rather than low potency of the vaccine or serum. In all cases of human rabies deaths in the State, the victims had sustained deep lacerated wounds on hands, feet, and face, which might have aided the virus’s direct entry into the nerve fibres.
While immediate washing of the wounds with soap and water is a necessary first aid which can get rid of almost 70% of the virus concentration on the wound, this might have been missed. Also, the administration of rabies immunoglobulin serum into and around the wound might have been delayed because immunoglobulin serum is not readily available in many hospitals in the periphery.
Though the government maintained that the vaccine and serum used in the State had been certified by CDL, the heightened public anxiety and fear over the efficacy of the vaccine prompted the government to insist on checking the quality of the biologicals again.
‘Standard quality’
Health Minister Veena George had written to the Centre requesting that the biologicals used in the State may be tested again for quality at the CDL. Two different batches of the rabies immunoglobulin serum that had been administered to those who had died of rabies in the State as well as vaccine samples were sent to CDL at Kasauli for testing. According to a statement by Ms. George here on Saturday, the tests vindicated that the serum was of “standard quality”.
