Man In Sarawak Dies From Rabies. He Was Bitten By His Relative's Dog
The victim, a 62-year-old man from Sibu, is the second person to die from rabies in the state this year.
By Sadho Ram — 27 Jun 2020, 03:01 PM
On Friday, 26 June, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed the death of a 62-year-old Sibu man caused by rabies
The 62-year-old man died on Tuesday, 23 June.
According to the Health DG, the victim was bitten by a relative's dog during a visit to a house at Jalan Sentosa Barat, Sibu on 12 May. Later, he cleaned the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes.
While the victim received treatment at a health facility the same day, he did not go back to the facility to get the anti-rabies vaccine injection, reported New Straits Times.
On 16 June, more than a month after he was bitten, the man from Sibu started to feel weakness in his leg and suffered constipation
Three days later, on 19 June, he was referred to the Sibu Hospital for further treatment.
"The patient died at 7pm on 23 June, while under intensive specialist care at the hospital, and the cause of death was rabies," Dr Noor Hisham was quoted as saying.
The rabies infection was confirmed on 25 June in a laboratory test by the Institute of Medical Research.
This is the second rabies death in Sarawak this year
The first rabies case was a five-year-old girl who died in Sibu on 26 March.
According to Borneo Post, the cumulative number of rabies cases in Sarawak since the outbreak was first declared in the state in July 2017 currently stands at 24 cases with 23 deaths.
Recently, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has declared 10 areas in Sibu as rabies positive after multiple incidents
The areas are:
- Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
- Lorong Permai Timur
- Kampung Bahagia Jaya Teku
- Sibujaya
- Batu ½ Jalan Oya
- Jalan Hua Kiew
- Ulu Sungai Merah
- Taman Sanhill Barat
- Jalan Oya Lama, and
- Jalan Sentosa.
“All these areas are within a 10km radius of the two previously declared rabies-infected areas in Sibu," according to SDMC chairman Amar Douglas Uggah, as reported by Malay Mail.
