IN SHORT
Kabaddi player Brijesh Solanki died of rabies after a bite from a stray puppy he rescued.
He did not receive a rabies vaccine, and symptoms emerged only days before his death.
Health officials vaccinated villagers and began a rabies awareness campaign.
Brijesh Solanki, a 22-year-old state-level Kabaddi player from Uttar Pradesh, has tragically died of rabies weeks after rescuing a stray puppy from a drain and sustaining a minor bite. Despite being a gold medallist with aspirations to join the Pro Kabaddi League, Brijesh reportedly did not receive a post-exposure rabies vaccination, officials told the Times of India.
Symptoms of the infection appeared only days before his death. A video showing Brijesh’s severe condition circulated widely on social media shortly after he passed away last Saturday.
Following the incident, health authorities visited his village on Monday, vaccinating 29 residents and launching an awareness campaign to educate people about the dangers of untreated animal bites.
Brijesh’s brother, Sandeep Kumar, shared that the family was unaware of rabies risks and that his brother had simply ignored the wound. “We didn’t know about rabies… It was confirmed at Aligarh Hospital when he showed difficulty drinking water,” he said. Sandeep also appealed to the government to provide the family with a job, as Brijesh had been their sole breadwinner.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)