A 70-Year-Old Who Rushed to His Family’s Aid Dies of Suspected Rabies , A Painful Reminder That Incomplete Treatment Can Be Fatal.
An elderly man from Sankole village in Sangailu Division, Ijara Sub-county, has died of suspected rabies after being attacked by a hyena while rushing to protect his daughter-in-law in the middle of the night.
Ibrahim Gaamey, 70, was bitten on the hand two weeks ago after a hyena broke into his daughter-in-law’s home, believed to be in search of water. Local elders say the animal had earlier been poisoned following a string of attacks on manyattas in the area.
Gaamey was taken to Masalani Sub-county Hospital where he received his first anti-rabies injection and was instructed to return for the remaining doses. He did not complete the course.
His condition deteriorated sharply over the weekend. Family members noticed disturbing changes in his behaviour and rushed him back to hospital. Doctors, unable to manage his advanced condition at the facility, referred him to Garissa County Referral Hospital. He died on the way.
Medical officials are now urging residents across the region to take all animal bite cases seriously and to complete every dose of prescribed treatment without fail. Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear — but is preventable when treatment is followed through to the end.
Gaamey leaves behind a family that watched him run toward danger to protect one of their own. His death, health officials say, did not have to happen.
ASAL Post extends its condolences to the family of Ibrahim Gaamey.
