SURIN: Health officials are vaccinating about 188 people who consumed meat from a buffalo that died of unknown causes and was later found to be infected with the rabies.
The first 113 of the diners in Kap Choeng district were vaccinated on Monday during a visit by a medical team led by Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak, district office chief; Dr Worawan Kopkijngam, acting director of Kap Choeng Hospital and Olan Yukanchanaset, mayor of tambon Kap Choeng municipality, an informed source said.
None of the villagers had shown signs of infection and most were believed to have cooked the meat before eating it, which would have inactivated the virus, but they were all being advised to go to Kap Choeng Hospital for vaccination against rabies for their own safety.
Any people who handled the meat from the infected animal were also urged to get the vaccination, even if they did not eat it, the source said.
To date, a total of 188 people who had eaten or touched the meat had been identified.
This incident sparked concern over the lack of understanding shown by these people about the importance of following standard practice in the handling of livestock which has died of illness or unknown causes.
The Kap Choeng Hospital sent a letter to the Surin provincial governor about the need for all district offices to improve public understanding of what to do, and not to do, in such cases, the source.
A total of four buffalos had died recently in tambon Kab Choeng, which is on the border of Cambodia.
The first two were buried by their owners, but the third was butchered after it died on Aug 10 and the meat given away to people and eaten.
It was only later, after people had eaten it, that lab tests revealed the third buffalo was infected with the rabies virus, the source said.
The fourth buffalo also died on Friday, but was properly buried after the villagers learned the third buffalo was infected, the source said.
Jaiphet Hasap, the owner of the third and fourth buffaloes, said the two animals were bitten three months ago by a stray dog which had apparently been infected with rabies.
His neighbour had volunteered to handle and dispose of the first carcass, and while nursing the dying fourth buffalo had cut up the dead buffalo and taken its meat, Mr Jaiphet said.
