Title:
Dog-bite woman dies
from rabies
Subject:
A woman being treated for rabies after being bitten by a dog in south
Asia has died.
Web
Address:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dogbite-woman-dies-from-rabies-7799765.html
Date:
29 May 2012
Summary:
A woman contracted rabies in south
Asia, it was transmitted by dogs saliva when she was bitten. When she
was back in the UK she went to the hospital but twice she was turned
away. According to this article the doctors were not told she had any
contact with animals in a high-risk country. Because of this, they
did not consider rabies, as UK is rabies free. With just some vague symptoms the doctors failed to realise what the patient was
suffering from until later, then she was admitted into the London's
Hospital for Tropical Diseases where she ultimately died. The press is
asked to lay low on this one, as the family has expressed it would
like privacy.
Opinion:
The investigation is still running, but
from what I can gather the woman did not mention being abroad or
being bitten by a wild dog. That proved to be fatal, but I do not
think the doctors were at fault here, nor do I think the woman was
stupid. She probably just did not know the risk of wild dogs in Asian
countries, otherwise she might have mentioned it. In all, it is a
tragedy that because of misinformation she died. Hopefully the press
will answer the family's wishes and leave the case alone, at least
for now. Though, seeing how the press usually goes about things, I
think there will be reporters trying to get the story anyway.
I agree with you. The death of the woman is no ones fault and just one of those cases where you wish it had gone differently. Luckily the family is not making a big deal about it by starting a lawsuit or something like that.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt would be unfair to blame the doctors, but I don't think many people realize that being a real one is nothing like being one on a show like House or ER. Sometimes accidents happen, sometimes a symptom goes unnoticed and they do not always have the time to throw everything at it and see what will stick. So sometimes, people die. Very glad that the press is acting humanly here.
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