THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In wake of panic in Kerala, as 5 people, bitten by dogs, died after taking the anti-rabies vaccine and the rabies immunoglobulin vaccine, but the Kerala government on Thursday said that the efficacy of both  vaccines was tested and they have been cleared as safe and effective.

State Health Minister Veena George wrote to the Center after questions were raised about the effectiveness of these immunizations. Both samples would be sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Himachal Pradesh for testing. George told the media on Thursday that the test results were in and that there were no issues with the treatment's efficacy.

Recently, doubts about the effectiveness of the anti-rabies vaccine and the rabies immunoglobulin vaccine were raised in Kerala when five people died from dog attacks despite having received immunizations. As soon as the efficacy test results were announced and both vaccinations were found to be both safe and efficacious, the state's residents breathed a sigh of relief.

To check the quality of the vaccines, the state government sent samples of the anti-rabies and rabies immunoglobulin vaccines to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Himachal Pradesh. Veena George, the state's minister of health, told the media on Thursday that the test results were in and that there were no issues with the effectiveness of the immunizations.

This year, there have been more dog bite incidents reported by the state. But when five people, including a 12-year-old girl, died from dog bites after receiving an anti-rabies vaccination with a certificate from the central pharmaceuticals laboratory, which checks the vaccinations' consistency before issuing certificates, fear gripped the state.

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