KUCHING – Two rabies deaths have been reported in Sarawak this year, said Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
In a statement today, the health director-general said the first case was a 52-year-old Malaysian man who denied having been bitten or attacked by a dog or other mammals.
“However, he had caught and killed a pet dog, but the carcass was not handed over to the state Veterinary Services Department for investigation.
“On January 31, 2021, he was warded at Sibu Hospital, where he had sought treatment for chest pain, numbness in the right hand, vomiting and shortness of breath.
“His health deteriorated, and he died on February 8, 2021, with the cause of death being rabies infection.”
He said the second case was a 54-year-old Malaysian who was referred to Sarawak General Hospital on March 5 for weakness in the legs, body aches, fever, nausea and loss of appetite.
“He was bitten by his pet dog on December 26, 2020, on the chest. On the same day, the dog was taken by local authorities to be euthanised, but no samples were taken for a rabies test.
“The victim also never sought treatment for dog bite, and the result of the rabies PCR test on his saliva sample, which was conducted at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak on March 7, 2021, was positive.
“The victim was confirmed to have died on March 7, 2021 due to rabies infection.”
Sarawak has registered a total of 33 rabies cases, including 31 deaths, since an outbreak was declared on July 1, 2017.
The two surviving patients are children who received early treatment. – Bernama, March 13, 2021
