Around 450 people in two villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district received anti-rabies vaccinations after consuming charanamrit prepared using milk from a cow suspected of having rabies. The animal died on Tuesday after exhibiting unusual behaviour, triggering concern among residents and prompting the Health Department to conduct a vaccination drive.

The cow’s milk had reportedly been distributed to households and two local shops in Dadi Khas and neighbouring Govindpur. Several residents had consumed the religious offering during Durga Puja before learning of the animal’s death.

The cow’s owner, Nawami Yadav, said the animal had been unwell for one or two days, but its condition worsened sharply on Tuesday. He told veterinarians that he was unaware of when a stray dog might have bitten the cow.

Yadav sought treatment from private veterinarians Dr Bechan Singh and Dr Hardev Yadav, along with a doctor at the Dadi Khas veterinary hospital. According to the owner, the veterinarians suspected that the animal had suffered a dog bite. The cow later began barking, an unusual behaviour, before dying on Tuesday evening.

Although rabies was suspected, officials had not confirmed whether the animal was infected with the disease.

Health Department Organises Vaccination Camp

News of the cow’s death prompted residents who had consumed the charanamrit to seek medical help. Around 50 people visited the local community health centre (CHC) on Tuesday for anti-rabies vaccinations.

On Wednesday, October 21, a team from the health centre visited the village to administer vaccines to more residents. The camp was led by pharmacist Siddharth Singh, with health workers Arshad, Sonu Srivastava, Priyanka and Ankita assisting as villagers continued to arrive.

By Wednesday evening, approximately 400 additional people had received vaccinations at the camp, taking the overall number of recipients to around 450, according to officials.

Gorakhpur Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Rajesh Kumar said the vaccination drive was undertaken as a precaution after reports that devotees had consumed charanamrit made from the cow’s milk during Durga Puja.

“The cow has died, and people were afraid. Therefore, 450 people were administered anti-rabies vaccines as a precautionary measure,” Kumar said.

Official Urges Residents Not to Panic

Kumar sought to ease concerns over the possible exposure, saying the milk would likely have been boiled before being used to prepare curd and subsequently made into charanamrit. He said boiling destroys the rabies virus and urged residents not to panic.

The vaccination campaign was organised in response to public concern following the animal’s death. However, officials had not confirmed a rabies diagnosis in the cow at the time of reporting.