KUALA LUMPUR – A 42-year-old man became the latest victim of rabies in Sarawak, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the man died at 6.53am on October 20 at Sarawak General Hospital, confirmed to be infected with the rabies virus through laboratory tests conducted by the Medical Research Institute on the same date.
The man was admitted to the hospital on October 15 after suffering from muscle weakness and inability to walk, apart from sleep loss due to hallucinations and swallowing difficulties.
“Investigations found that there was no history of dog or other animal bites in this case. He has seven cats, with five of them receiving the anti-rabies vaccine from the Department of Veterinary Services a day after experiencing the symptoms.
“All his cats are healthy and there is no change in behaviour. No animal has been found sick or dead within six months in the locality of the case’s house,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the latest case brought the total cases in the state this year to five and the total accumulative number of rabies cases in Sarawak to 27 since the rabies outbreak was declared on July 1, 2017.
He said although the case could not be linked to a history of dog or animal bites, it was generally known that rabies infections were caused by rabid animal bites.
“Sarawak is still not rabies-free. Make sure that your pets are given the anti-rabies vaccine.”
He also advised the public to seek immediate treatment at a nearby health clinic or hospital if bitten by an animal.
Those bitten by a dog or any other animal must wash the bitten body parts with running water and soap for at least 15 minutes to remove the saliva, he said. – Bernama, November 11, 2020
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