Listen to Story A man infected with rabies ended his own life at a government hospital in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on March 11. The distressing incident, captured on video and now viral on social media, has sparked conversations about the terrifying impact of rabies on the human body. Ram Chandar, a 35-year-old man from Odisha, was bitten by a rabid dog just days before the incident .
As his symptoms worsened, he was admitted to a hospital and placed in an isolation ward. His behaviour became increasingly aggressive, a hallmark of late-stage rabies. In a fit of distress, he shattered a glass pane covering a notice board and used the shards to inflict fatal injuries upon himself.
The hospital staff, aware of the high risk of rabies transmission through bodily fluids, hesitated to intervene immediately and instead alerted the police. By the time authorities arrived, Chandar had already lost too much blood and succumbed to his injuries. This tragic case highlights the dangers of rabies a disease that has 100% fatalities once symptoms appear but is entirely preventable with timely medical intervention.
WHAT DOES RABIES DO TO THE BRAIN? Rabies is a viral infection that attacks the central nervous system , leading to fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by the Rabies lyssavirus, a neurotropic virus that causes rabies in animals, including humans. "Once the virus enters the body, usually through a bite or scratch from an infected animal, it travels along the .
