Sunday, January 29, 2012

Confusion, anger surround report of soldier's rabies death

HEIDELBERG, Germany — A soldier who died in August from rabies received none of the treatment that would have saved him, an Army investigation has found, because he did not seek medical care after a dog bit him in Afghanistan last January or report it to his company command.

Spc. Kevin Shumaker did mention the dog bite to a veterinarian he met in March and on a post-deployment health form in April, according to the Army investigation.

Neither the vet nor medical officers who reviewed Shumaker’s form took any action, the investigation found, to ensure that Shumaker was treated for the virus. Rabies is completely curable if treated before symptoms occur, but invariably fatal once symptoms emerge.

Read the entire story here.

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