Around 450 people who consumed ‘charanamrit’ prepared from a cow’s milk during Durga Puja in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district have received anti-rabies vaccine after the animal died amid suspicions that it had been bitten by a stray dog, officials said on Thursday.
The cow’s owner, Navami Yadav, said the animal had appeared unwell for one or two days before its condition deteriorated on Tuesday. He consulted private veterinarians Bechan Singh and Hardev Yadav, as well as a doctor at the Dadi Khas veterinary hospital. The incident prompted devotees who had consumed the ‘charanamrit’ during Durga Puja to seek vaccination as a precaution. CHC in-charge Amarendra Thakur advised people concerned to consult medical professionals to determine whether vaccination was necessary and follow the prescribed schedule. Veterinary assessment and appropriate testing were required to establish the cause, he added. Rabies transmission through drinking milk alone is not an established route of infection.
Veterinarian Siddiqui, posted in Dadi, said the cow’s symptoms raised suspicion of rabies, but symptoms alone could not confirm the disease. However, people concerned about possible exposure to saliva or other potentially infectious material should promptly seek medical assessment to determine whether post-exposure prophylaxis is required, he said.
The health department organised a vaccination camp in Dadi Khas village in Gola block on Wednesday following the incident.
