Mtoto-1, mvulana wa miaka 10 kutoka kitongoji cha Senta, Wilaya ya Serengeti, Mkoa wa Mara, aling’atwa na paka wa kufugwa mnamo tarehe 28 Februari 2025 majira ya saa 5:00 asubuhi akiwa ndani ya nyumba yao. Ingawa paka huyo alikuwa wa kufugwa, alikuwa na tabia ya kuzurura mara kwa mara. Mtoto alipata majeraha madogo kwenye mkono na mguu. Hakupewa huduma ya kwanza nyumbani, na tukio hilo liliripotiwa katika Zahanati ya Majimoto tarehe 1 Machi, ambapo alipewa chanjo ya tetenasi (TT) na antibiotics. Siku hiyo hiyo, mwendo wa saa kumi na mbili jioni, paka yuleyule aliuma mtoto mwingine (Mtoto-2, wa kike, miaka 2), ambaye alianza kupokea chanjo ya PEP tarehe 1 Machi 2025 na kukamilisha dozi tatu, anaendelea vizuri.

Child-1, a 10-year-old boy from Senta sub-district, Serengeti District, Mara Region, was bitten by a domestic cat on February 28, 2025 at around 5:00 am while inside their home. Although the cat was domestic, it had a habit of roaming around frequently. The child sustained minor bite wounds on his arm and leg. No first aid was given to him at home, and the incident was reported to Majimoto Dispensary on March 1, where he was given tetanus (TT) vaccine and antibiotics. On the same day, at around 6:00 pm, the same cat bit another child (Child-2, female, 2 years), who started receiving PEP vaccination on March 1, 2025 and completed three doses, and is doing well. Child-1 died on the night of April 29, 2025, after developing rabies symptoms and infecting family members during care.

*Identical exposures can have vastly different outcomes – Child-1 died after receiving only tetanus vaccine while Child-2 survived because she received proper PEP, proving that immediate post-exposure prophylaxis saves lives.