Emerging rat-bite fever

Nepal must invest in broader research to understand RBF and its causative agents before it is too late.

Rat bite fever (RBF), also known as “ Sodoku ”—a Japanese word meaning rat (so) poison (doku), is a neglected and underdiagnosed disease worldwide. There isn’t a clear consensus among the experts on the global burden of RBF. Each week, at least a dozen rat bite victims come to Sukraraj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital’s (STIDH) out-patient department (OPD) to seek medical advice and care for injuries. Although most victims seek vaccines against the rabies virus, almost none know the possible risk of infection by rat bites.