A wave of panic led to nearly 200 residents of Piprauli village in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district receiving rabies vaccinations this week. The precautionary measure followed a community meal where people consumed a dish made from the milk of a buffalo that had died after a dog bite.
The Incident That Sparked Panic
The incident occurred around a funeral gathering in the village. Attendees consumed raita, a whipped yogurt dish, which was prepared using milk from a local buffalo. Unbeknownst to them, the buffalo had been bitten by a dog and subsequently died on December 26, 2025. The death of the animal and the knowledge of its prior dog bite triggered widespread fear of rabies infection among those who had consumed the dairy product.
Acting on an abundance of caution, health authorities administered Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), which includes vaccination, to approximately 200 individuals. This swift response highlights the serious concern rabies generates, given its near-100% fatality rate once symptoms appear.
What Do Medical Experts Say About The Risk?
Health experts have moved quickly to clarify the actual risks, aiming to balance necessary caution with scientific facts. Dr. Rajeev Chowdry, Director of Internal Medicine at Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital in Faridabad, provided crucial context.
"Rabies is not transmitted through food," Dr. Chowdry stated. He emphasized that the primary mode of transmission is through the saliva of an infected animal, typically via bites or scratches, or contact with mucous membranes. "There is no reliable scientific documentation of rabies being transmitted through the ingestion of milk or milk products like yogurt or paneer," he added.
The virus is not secreted into the bloodstream or milk of an infected bovine in significant amounts. Furthermore, common household practices significantly reduce any theoretical risk:
- Boiling or pasteurization effectively kills the rabies virus.
- The process of making curd (yogurt) involves acidification, which the virus cannot survive.
- Cooking with milk also inactivates the pathogen.
However, as a general precaution, consuming raw milk or meat from animals showing signs of rabies is discouraged. This advice is less about rabies and more due to potential risks from other pathogens that could be present.
Understanding Rabies and Non-Bite Exposure
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. After entering the body, often through a bite, the virus travels via nerves to the brain. Symptoms, which can take weeks or months to appear, include:
- Fever, headache, and nausea
- Excessive salivation and fear of water (hydrophobia)
- Hallucinations and partial paralysis
Once clinical signs manifest, the disease is almost invariably fatal. This underscores the critical importance of PEP, a series of vaccines and sometimes immunoglobulin, administered after potential exposure to prevent the virus from taking hold.
Regarding non-bite exposures, cases are exceptionally rare. According to global health bodies, such exposures could include:
- Contamination of scratches, open wounds, or mucous membranes with infectious saliva or neural tissue.
- Inhalation of aerosolized virus, a risk largely confined to laboratory settings.
The situation in Piprauli village serves as a stark reminder of the fear this disease invokes. It also highlights the challenge health authorities face in managing public anxiety during health scares, especially in an era of widespread misinformation. The administration of PEP, while likely exceeding strict medical necessity in this case, reflects a "better safe than sorry" approach to a disease with such dire consequences.
The key takeaway for the public is to seek immediate medical advice after any potential exposure—such as a dog bite or scratch—and to rely on expert guidance regarding transmission risks from sources like milk, rather than acting on panic alone.
