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KUALA LUMPUR: A 16-year-old girl who succumbed to rabies on November 11 is the latest and sixth victim to die from the disease in Sarawak this year, said Chief Health Officer Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the case is the 28th since a rabies outbreak was declared in Sarawak on July 31, 2017.
“The teenager died at 3.45 pm at the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS) and it was confirmed that he was infected with the rabies virus after laboratory tests performed by the Institute for Medical Research on November 12,” he said today it’s a statement.
“She was admitted to HUS on November 10 after she had a fever for three days, felt weakness in her lower extremities, had aggressive tendencies and symptoms of aerophobia and hydrophobia.
“There was no history of dog or other animal bites. He only had a few healed scratch marks on his right leg, but members of his family were unable to provide details.
“She had four cats and a dog as pets and they are all in a healthy state and have not shown any change in behavior even though they had never been vaccinated,” he said.
Noor Hisham said rabies deaths could be prevented by washing the body part bitten by the animal with soap and running water for 15 minutes to remove traces of saliva and also seeking immediate medical treatment.
“Make sure domestic dogs are vaccinated against rabies annually at the nearest veterinary clinic.
“Keep them away from other stray dogs or animals and report to local authorities if there are strays roaming the area,” he said.
Noor Hisham said that the State Ministry of Health and the State Department of Health will continue to monitor the rabies situation in Sarawak and share the latest related information with the Sarawak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and DVS Malaysia to ensure that measures rabies prevention and control are implemented immediately and thoroughly.
“It is important that the people of Sarawak give their cooperation by paying attention to the advice of the government and the authorities to keep rabies under control in the state.
“Do not allow pets to roam or abandon them in public areas,” he said.
