KUALA LUMPUR: A five-year-old girl was the latest victim to succumb to rabies in Sarawak, the first case reported this year and the 23rd since the state was declared rabies-infected on July 31, 2017.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the victim from Sibu was attacked and bitten by a stray dog on March 8.
He said the girl suffered wounds on her face, mouth and eyelids. However, they were not cleansed immediately with clean, running water and soap.
“She was taken to the Sibu Hospital on the same day (and) received anti-tetanus vaccination, Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) and two doses of anti-rabies vaccine. She recovered and was discharged on March 13. The third dose of the anti-rabies vaccine was given on March 16.
“On March 24, she was taken to a community clinic in Sibu for fever and later brought to Sibu Hospital on March 25 after complaining about pain in her throat, difficulty swallowing water and was hallucinating. The patient was admitted for further treatment,” he said in a statement.
Dr Noor Hisham said her condition, however, deteriorated and was confirmed dead the next day, with rabies encephalitis confirmed as the cause of death.
He said samples from the child were taken on March 26 and was confirmed positive for rabies by the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) laboratory on March 29.
“The stray that bit the victim reportedly died on March 10 but no sample was taken.”
He advised the public to take precautionary measures by cleansing wounds inflicted by strays or pets thoroughly with running water and soap for 15 minutes to remove any traces of saliva, seek immediate treatment at the nearest clinic or hospital after being bitten by aggressive pets or strays, ensure pets receive anti-rabies vaccination and prevent contact between pets and strays.
“If the pet dogs or cats are found behaving differently, including being aggressive, please send them to the veterinary clinic and report to the nearest Veterinary Services Department (VSD).
“Please alert the local authorities if there are strays in the neighbourhood and always practice good personal hygiene like washing hands correctly with water and soap after touching pets.”
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry and state health departments were committed in curbing rabies infection, and would increase cooperation with the state government, VSD and other agencies in carrying out prevention and containment of the virus.