KUCHING: A 46-year-old man from Kota Padawan who died on Aug 7 was confirmed as a rabies case, making him the 19th fatality since the outbreak began two years ago.
The Ministry of Health, in a press statement today, confirmed the case after the Medical Research Centre laboratory test revealed positive for rabies infection on Wednesday (Aug 9).
The deceased was the 20th human case of rabies recorded in the state since an outbreak of the virus was declared on July 2017. The latest case is the fourth this year.
The man was believed to have been bitten by his pet dog on June 15 at his residence. His eight-year-old daughter was also bitten by the same dog on the same day.
However, the man only brought his daughter for treatment at a health clinic on June 17 before she was referred to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
Reports also stated that the man did not inform medical staff that he too was bitten.
On July 29, the man started showing symptoms and sought treatment from two health clinics on July 31 and Aug 2 but did not inform health authorities about his dog bite history.
He only informed health authorities of the dog bite after he was admitted to the SGH on Aug 3 when his condition worsened.— DayakDaily
