Presumed dead, Karnataka teen wakes up on way to his funeral

Representational Image/ Courtesy: PTI

BENGALURU: A 17-year-old boy who was presumed to have died rose up on the way to his funeral in Karnataka's Dharwad. Minutes before the cremation, Kumar Marewad woke up taking his family members and villagers by surprise. According to reports, Marewad was bitten by a stray dog a month ago and was down with high fever last week. The teen was later admitted to a hospital and put on a ventilator support after his condition deteriorated. The doctors reportedly informed Marewad's relatives that the teen would not survive if life support was removed as infection had spread in his body. The family decided to discontinue medical treatment and take him home. "We had decided to take him home after doctors told us his chances of survival were bleak once taken off the ventilator," Marewad's brother-in-law Sharanappa Naikar told the Times of India. After the boy was taken home, his family members noticed no body movements. Thus, presumed him dead and made arrangements for his funeral. But the villagers had hardly moved two kilometers away from their home with the body, when Marewad opened his eyes and started moving his legs. He was later taken to a hospital where he has again been put on ventilator. “Marewad is on ventilator. We suspect he suffers from meningoencephalitis, an infection caused due to dog bite," TOI quoted Dr Mahesh Neelakhantannavar as saying.