Kerala human rights panel directs setting up medical team to probe rabies deaths

In response to a series of alarming rabies-related deaths in Kerala, the State Human Rights Commission has directed the formation of a special medical team to investigate the circumstances leading to the fatalities.

Justice Alexander Thomas, Chairperson of the Commission, has instructed that the team be constituted under the supervision of the Director of Medical Education. The panel has mandated that a detailed report be submitted within a month.

The Commission specified that the inquiry must cover critical aspects such as whether the deceased individuals had received the anti-rabies vaccine, adherence to vaccination protocols, the efficacy of the vaccines administered, and the conditions under which they were stored.

The report is also expected to recommend preventive measures to avert such tragedies in the future.

Additionally, the Commission has sought a separate report from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department on the effectiveness of the rabies vaccines used in government hospitals. It has instructed authorities to assess whether the vaccines meet the quality standards set by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Union Ministry of Health.

The Commission emphasized that the report should identify agencies capable of testing and verifying vaccine quality and urged the state government to consider appointing an agency recommended by the NCDC to conduct an in-depth study of recent rabies-related deaths and propose preventive strategies.

The Additional Chief Secretary has been asked to submit an implementation report within a month. Furthermore, the Deputy Director of Medical Education and a representative of the Health Secretary are to appear at the Commission's next sitting on June 10 in Thiruvananthapuram.

The suo motu case was registered following widespread media coverage of rabies deaths across the state.

The Commission’s intervention comes a day after the tragic death of seven-year-old Niya Faisal from Kollam district, who passed away in a government hospital despite treatment. Her death followed that of six-year-old Ziya Faris from Malappuram, and a 13-year-old girl from Pullad, Pathanamthitta—both of whom also succumbed to rabies despite reportedly receiving vaccination.