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Rabid Cow Attacks Crowd in Goa, India
Thursday, 22 July, 2010
The Herald newspaper published in Goa, India carries the report that 15 people were attacked and injured by a cow at a bus stand in the outer Goa suburb of Bicholim a week ago. The cow has subsequently been found to have rabies. Apparently the cow had been bitten by a rabid dog though the report does not give the time interval between the bite and the cow’s symptoms.
There are some 20,000 deaths from rabies annually in India. Although the virus is mostly carried by dogs this report highlights the fact that any mammal is capable of transmitting the disease and all bites or even scratches that break the skin must be regarded as potentially rabid and, after cleansing of the wound, medical attention must be sought.
