Bitten, not scratched.” A schoolboy who died from rabies was buried 0 14

The funeral was attended by villagers, classmates, and neighbors — many were afraid to approach the coffin and the family home due to fear of infection. But they did not hesitate to cry: everyone remembered the boy as an incredibly bright, kind child who loved to play with friends and animals.

Didn’t scratch, but bit

During the farewell, an important detail emerged: the neighbor's dog did not just scratch Igor, but bit him on the knee. This could have changed the course of events if it had been known earlier.

Overcome with despair, the father, upon learning of his son's diagnosis, could not contain his emotions: he strangled the puppy and buried it nearby. The dog's body was later exhumed for analysis — the result was positive. With a one-day difference, two diagnoses coincided: Igor was confirmed to have rabies, and the examination of the animal conclusively proved the source of the infection.

A chain of fatal coincidences

It all started ordinarily: Igor was playing with the neighbor's puppy. The bite initially seemed trivial — the father treated the wound with green antiseptic and did not attach much importance to the incident. A few days later, the boy developed a fever. The head of the family took him to the paramedic but did not mention the bite. The doctor diagnosed him with ARVI, prescribed medication, and sent the child home.

The next day, Igor's condition sharply deteriorated: his fever rose, and he began to suffocate. The child was urgently taken to the district center. Only then did the father remember the contact with the animal. A blood test confirmed the worst. The boy was urgently transported to the intensive care unit in Omsk. Doctors fought for his life for seven days, but on the morning of April 15, Igor died.

“Can you imagine how he suffered? It is well known what happens to the human body, what people experience with rabies. And here is a child!” — the locals are not calmed.

The fear that settled in the village

The tragedy struck the entire village. Igor's brothers (born in 2010 and 2011) are now in the hospital — they are undergoing anti-rabies treatment. The whole family is under medical supervision. But it’s not just them who are afraid — all the residents of Bessarabka are frightened.

“We just didn’t think it could be rabies,” laments a local resident. According to her, no one in the village is properly informed about the risks: “We are not kept informed about this. How to behave and what to pay attention to.”

The situation is complicated by the fact that the area has long had an unfavorable rabies situation. Cases had already been recorded in the fall, but, according to the villagers, proper preventive measures were not taken. After the tragedy, veterinarians quickly vaccinated pets, but stray dogs still roam freely around the village — there is no one to catch them, and killing them is prohibited by law.

Consequences that affected everyone

The story did not end with the personal tragedy of the family. Two criminal cases have been initiated: against the paramedic — for inadequate medical assistance, and against Igor's father — for cruelty to animals.

People in Bessarabka are in fear and sorrow. They do not understand how to protect themselves and their loved ones from the deadly threat that, as it turned out, was so close.