Boy, 5, possible 13th rabies victim

KUCHING: A five-year- old boy from Mile 6 Penrissen Road is believed to be the state’s 13th rabies fatality.

The chi ld, who has been undergoing treatment at Sarawak General Hospital since Aug 2, passed away at 7pm yesterday.

He is said to have been bitten by a dog about a month-and-a-half ago and was immediately brought for treatment.

Though initial ly fine, his condition began to deteriorate and saw him hospitalised on Aug 2.

If confi rmed to be due to rabies, the boy’s death means 13 persons have succumbed to the disease so far.

Yesterday, Health Ministry director- general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed via a press statement that a 44- year- old man from Jalan Matang, who died Tuesday morning, was the state’s 12th rabies victim.

He said based on information received, the man had no history of dog or animal bites.

He had, however, hit a stray dog that bit his wife on Jan 13. It was reported that the dog had died.

“The victim had an open wound on his right hand at the time of the incident. He did not get any treatment for himself although he had taken his wife to the hospital for treatment and vaccination after the incident,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

He said the victim started feeling pain in his right hand in early August and received outpatient treatment on Aug 6.

By Aug 11, his condition worse ned and he developed symptoms of numbness and weakness in his rightarm, inability to move, tension in the neck and hydrophobia, he added.

“The victim was taken to SGH Emergency Unit for treatment on Aug 16. The test on clinical samples conducted at the Institute of Medical Research ( IMR) was positive for rabies virus infection,” said Dr Noor Hisham, who added the victim’s wife is currently in good health having completed her four- dose anti-rabies vaccination schedule.