41 in Moscow rabies scare
2009-12-28 14:40
Moscow - Fears of contact with a rabies-stricken dog have left 41 people hospitalised in Moscow, said Russian officials quotes by the Interfax news agency.
The patients, three of them children, are being treated for rabies, reported Russian chief sanitary inspector Gennadi Onishchenko, according to the agency. None of the victims have shown signs of rabies so far.
Local media reported on Monday that the dog had bitten numerous people in mid December, while others had had contact with the dog's saliva. The animal died a few days ago of rabies. The disease usually takes about seven days to kill people.
Onishchenko has said that about 10 000 feral dogs live in Moscow's streets, including fighting dogs. Sterilisation and other methods have yet to bring the situation under control. There have been five human rabies cases in the last half year.
- SAPA