By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 15: A 26-year-old woman from Belaga, Kapit, has succumbed to rabies despite no known history of animal bites, passing away on November 9 at Sibu Hospital in the latest fatality of Sarawak’s ongoing rabies outbreak.
According to the press statement by Sarawak Health director Dr Veronica Lugah, on behalf of the Sarawak Health Department (JKN), she extended their condolences to the family of the deceased.
The woman began experiencing symptoms including pain, numbness, vomiting, and hallucinations on October 20, with the symptoms progressing to severe conditions on October 28 that required hospitalisation on November 3.
“Laboratory tests confirmed rabies infection, but investigations revealed no bite history.
“However, she owned three free-roaming cats, one of which was not vaccinated against rabies, raising the likelihood of indirect exposure to other infected animals,” read the statement.
The JKN has highlighted the State’s high animal bite rates, with 15,966 cases reported between January 1 and November 9 this year alone, averaging 355 cases weekly—55.58 per cent involving cats and 42.95 per cent involving dogs.
This human rabies case adds to the alarming statistics since the outbreak was declared in July 2017, bringing the total to 82 cases with 75 deaths—a fatality rate of 91 per cent. Notably, all seven cases in 2024 have resulted in fatalities due to complications from rabies.
The public is reminded that rabies transmission is not limited to direct bites but can occur through exposure to saliva via scratches or open wounds.
Pet owners are strongly advised to vaccinate their animals annually and prevent them from roaming freely. The public is also cautioned against handling stray or wild animals, alive or dead, and to report such cases to local authorities. — DayakDaily
