Doctors at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) are currently battling for the life of a 4 year old girl after sustaining a dog bite 6 weeks ago at Adansi Swedru in the Central Region.
The little girl, (name withheld) went out to play with a puppy her father, Isaac Asare, had bought. The puppy couldn’t stand the girl’s harmless provocation and bit her left cheek close to the eye. Her parents sent her to a nearby clinic but the health centre gave only anti tetanus injection without anti-rabies prophylaxis because they did not have it.
The little girl’s parents were asked to come for review in two weeks, which they did. But six weeks after the episode, the girl started showing symptoms that appeared strange to the parents.
Narrating the story to ATL FM’s Ama Bawa, Mr. Asare, the father, said the puppy has been a very lively one and often plays with his children. He said on the fateful day, he went about his work on his farm and returned home to the news of the little girl having been bitten by the puppy. The father said he immediately rushed the child to the nearest clinic upon seeing the evident cut on the girl’s face.
“She was given an anti-tetanus shot and we were asked to report to the health facility after two weeks. We did and she was cleared of any issue. After six weeks, she began showing pretty strange symptoms and we were referred from the Assin Foso Government Hospital to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital”, the teary father narrated.
The little girl for the past three days on admission at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital [CCTH] has been jerking, grinning and wagging her tongue. The sight of water irritates her and she only affords to mutter strange sounds.
A medical officer at the CCTH, Dr. Emmanuel Adeaba told ATL FM News that a test run on the girl indicated high viral and bacterial infections.
He said “rabies cases are usually between life and death but if it is confirmed rabies we cannot guarantee anything”.
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