Kottayam (Kerala), Sep 3 (PTI) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday ordered the setting up of a medical board to treat a 12-year-old child undergoing treatment for dog-bite.

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Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan wrote a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking free treatment to the Ranni native, who was bitten by the stray dog while she was on her way to a nearby shop.

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The incident happened on August 14.

"She has already taken three anti-rabies vaccines," a medical officer said.

The Minister's office said instructions have been given to provide the best treatment to the child.

"A medical board has been formed by coordinating various departments for the treatment," the Minister's office said.

After she developed physical discomfort, the child was taken to a private hospital on Thursday. Later, her condition worsened and she was admitted to Kottayam Medical College on Friday.

George had told the State Assembly that a total of 20 people died of rabies infection this year. However, four among the deceased had received the vaccines, she had said.

Admitting that the dog-bite cases are on the rise, she said if the total number of reported cases was over 1.35 lakh in 2017, it has shot to 1,83,931 this year.

With anxiety mounting in the state over the recent deaths due to rabies infection despite vaccination, the Chief Minister told the Assembly that the government would set up an expert panel to examine the quality of the anti-rabies vaccine being given in hospitals in the State.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)