Experts flag rare rabies risk from raw milk

Srinagar, Jul 30: Drinking unboiled or unpasteurised milk from animals infected with rabies could pose a health risk, especially in rare exposure scenarios, experts said during a rabies awareness workshop at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag.

“Drinking raw milk from a suspected rabid cow, buffalo or goat may increase the risk of rabies, particularly if the milk comes in contact with open wounds during milking,” said Dr. Rouf Hussain Rather, Assistant Professor at GMC. “In such cases, post-exposure vaccination is essential.”

The workshop, held at GMC’s Anantnag’s main campus at Dialgam amid a rise in animal bite cases reported at its GMC Anantnag Janglatmandi hospital as well as other hospitals across Kashmir, focused on rabies prevention, post-exposure care, and the use of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins.

“Rabies is 100 percent fatal once symptoms appear. Preventive vaccination remains the only effective safeguard,” Dr. Rather said. “Unfortunately, people still think only dog bites transmit rabies. Less obvious exposures, like raw milk consumption or handling infected animals without protection, are often ignored.”

He also talked about troubling patterns in bite incidents. “Pet cats now account for nearly 50 percent of animal

bite cases at our Anti-Rabies Clinic,” he said. “This is likely due to the rise in household pets and low awareness of the risks from cat scratches and bites.”

Dr Tajali Shora, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, GMC Anantnag seconded Rather. “Every exposure matters,” she said. “People must seek medical attention immediately after any suspicious contact, whether it’s a bite, scratch, or indirect exposure through animal fluids.”

Dr Showkat Shefa Shaeda, Head of Pediatrics and Neonatology at GMC, said early education and response. “We need to train the public and healthcare providers to treat all potential exposures seriously,” he said. “Delays in vaccination can cost lives.”

Rather also referred to the case of Brijesh Solanki, a 22-year-old Kabaddi player from Uttar Pradesh who died of rabies weeks after rescuing and being bitten by a stray puppy.

However, experts added the importance of distinguishing rare theoretical risks from established science. “There is no confirmed evidence that rabies can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of pasteurized or properly boiled milk from a rabid animal,” said Dr. Muhammad Saleem Khan, Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at GMC Srinagar. “Rabies virus is primarily transmitted through saliva via bites or scratches, not through ingestion.”

Dr. Khan acknowledged a widely reported case from March, in which a woman from Greater Noida in NCR Delhi allegedly died after drinking milk from a cow that had been bitten by a rabid dog. “There is one such report, but such instances are extremely rare and unverified in terms of direct milk-based transmission,” he said.

He cited lab findings to underline the scientific consensus. “In rare experimental settings, rabies virus RNA has been found in the milk of infected animals,” Dr. Khan said. “But detecting viral RNA doesn’t prove it can infect a human through ingestion. Neither the WHO nor the CDC recognizes milk as a common rabies transmission route.”

The workshop was held under the direction of GMC Principal Dr. Rukhsana Najeeb and attended by medical students, residents, paramedics, and anti-rabies clinic staff.