An anti-rabies vaccine deadlier than dog bite

MANGALORE: Keerthan, a resident of Kinnigoli, who recently fell prey to a dog bite never imagined that he would be temporarily reduced to a vegetable. To save him from rabies and related complications, the doctor at a primary health centre administered him a dose of the Semples vaccine.

Everything would seem to be all right. Except that the Semples vaccine has been banned by almost all other countries. Keerthan, who was disabled below the hips after taking the vaccine, had to be shifted to Wenlock Hospital for treatment.

Experts say that 1 out of 200 people who are given the vaccine suffer from side effects, ranging from pain and swelling at the site of injection to fever and allergic reactions.

There can even be neurological complications like post-vaccinial encephalo-mylitis or peripheral neuritis, which Keerthan suffered. Doctors warn that the vaccine may affect and permanently damage the brain, spinal chord or nerves.

Thanks to generous donations from students, a corporate executive and other Samaritans, Keerthan is recovering fast and is expected to be discharged in a week. Sadly, the same cannot be said about other victims of the Semples vaccine.

In Bangalore, doctors come across at least one such case per day, 14 percent of which ends in the patient's death, says a neuro-surgeon, Dr Rajesh Shetty.

It is common knowledge that prohibited drugs, banned all over the world, are used without a second thought in India. Had a quack administered the drug, it would have kicked up a storm.

But what does one do when the Government is guilty of the infraction? The administration is keeping mum to a string of such questions that sprang up when Keerthan's tale unfolded.

Dr Shantharam Baliga, a paediatrician, says vaccines are of two types: made either from nerve tissue or tissue cell culture.