3352*****. A Chennai village cow was bitten by a mad dog - is the milk fit for human consumption?

Nov 18, 2018

"My mother sold the cow," the Indian environment worker in his mid 30s told me today as I parked my car outside my clinic. "We bought her for S$600 after she had given birth to a calf. It was only 2 months when the stray dog bit her legs! We sold her for $250 as no villagers want to buy our milk nowadays!"

"The cow produced 6 litres of milk daily (4 litres in the morning and 2 litres in the evening),"he lamented. "My vet treated the cow with injection and said that her milk could be sold for human consumption as long as it is boiled!"

Samy had asked me a 2nd opinion last week. I had said that the cow could have been bitten by a rabid dog and had the virus which travels up the nerves. So, I would not sell the milk. "Where is the stray dog?" I asked. "He could be sent for rabies examination." The man said, "The dog had no chance as he was cornered and stoned and beaten to death by the boys."

"Every day, my mother would dispose around 6 litres of milk into the drain!  How long must she do this?"

I had no answer. In any case, no villager would want to buy the milk from her mother who is a slim 65-year-old lady. His father is older and has a paunch due to alcohol drinking. 


This man is a teetotaller unlike 99% of his country-men. "Around Dec 8 2014, I was at Little India where a riot occurred at 8pm. A drunken Indian fell off the bus and was run over by the bus. The bus driver drove off, not knowing about this accident." This man does not drink as he has a headache and abdominal pain if he drinks alcohol and so he left Little India at 7.30pm after sending remittance home.

"55 Indian workers were identified by the police on CCTV and punished in 3 categories depending on the severity of offences. 5 were jailed. But all 55 had their work permits cancelled and sent back home!"

This man was not involved as he was not in Racecourse Road where the accident happened. In any case, he left Little India at 7.30 pm and so he was still able to work in Singapore and help his family some 4 years later. "Will you buy another cow for your mother?" I asked.  "No," he replied. "My mother is too old. She has to go and cut grass to feed the cow and do milking!"  This is a responsible husband and son who make sacrifices so that his wife of 32 years and children can have a brighter future.  


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Home » Frequently asked Questions on Health » Can we get rabies by consuming milk from an infected cow?

Can we get rabies by consuming milk from an infected cow?

 Answered by:  Dr Shirish Kumar    |  Haematologist,
WHO,
Geneva

Q: We took milk from a local farmer and consumed it after boiling it. Suddenly we heard that the cow has been infected by rabies and died soon after. We are now very worried and could not get vaccinated due to acute shortage of anti-rabies in the local market. Is it necessary to vaccinate in this case?
A:Human cases due to non-bite exposures to rabies are very rare. Scratches, abrasions, open wounds, and mucous membranes contaminated with saliva or other potentially infectious material (such as brain tissue) from a rabid animal constitute non-bite exposures. Inhalation of aerosolised rabies virus is also a potential non-bite route of exposure, but other than laboratory workers, most people are unlikely to encounter aerosolised rabies virus. There are no published studies that have demonstrated the presence of rabies virus in cow's milk. Although transmission of rabies virus from consuming unpasteurised milk from an infected animal is theoretically possible, no human has ever been reported to develop rabies via this route. Milk that has been pasteurised/boiled presents no risk for rabies virus transmission.