4-yr-old dies of rabies after stray-dog attack

First rabies case from Ranipet in 2024; official says close proximity of wound to brain may have caused boy's death

- RAJALAKSHMI SAMPATH

THE death of a four-year-old boy on Tuesday - 17 days after a stray dog bit him - has been confirmed as a result of rabies, making it the first reported case of rabies from Ranipet district this year, according to official sources. The stray dog was killed on July 27, the day of the incident, after the villagers allegedly pelted stones at the animal.

The boy, Nirmal (4), was the son of B Kalaivani and Balaji, an autorickshaw driver from Gandhipuram in Arakkonam Taluk. Nirmal had a sister Jenitha. On July 27 evening, while Nirmal was playing outside, he was attacked by the stray dog and suffered injuries to his mouth. "I had just gone inside the house to get some water.