India: Woman Drinks Milk From Backyard Cow and Dies of Rabies

Rare case in India: A woman who drank milk from a cow raised in her backyard died of rabies that the cow was infected with.

Local media reports indicate that a stray dog bit the cow, leading to its rabies infection. The woman, residing in the Uttar Pradesh area, was unaware that the cow was infected when she consumed the milk. Shortly after, she began showing symptoms of rabies, which closely mirror those of regular flu: general weakness, fever accompanied by aches or headache, and a tingling or burning sensation. In extreme cases, anxiety and confusion, hallucinations, and eventually, paralysis of the respiratory muscles may occur, leading to death.

Her family rushed her to the hospital, but unfortunately, she was turned away and sent to another hospital, despite her severe condition. According to her family, she was denied entry at several hospitals while seeking a diagnosis for her illness and ultimately died shortly after being sent home without a diagnosis or treatment.

Following the tragic incident, the area where she lived was examined, confirming a regional rabies outbreak, leading to rabies vaccinations for ten surrounding villages. Dr. Srinivas Janam, a doctor at the local hospital, stated that the rabies virus belongs to a particularly severe type known as Lyssavirus within the Rhabdoviridae family. "Once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is almost always fatal," explained Dr. Janam. "The rabies virus is primarily transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals, usually dogs, but it can also spread to bats, foxes, raccoons, and other mammals. The virus is not typically present in cow milk viruses, making this a rare case. Rabies is not considered a foodborne disease, and transmission via milk, especially pasteurized milk, has not been documented in scientific literature."