A 64-year-old man in the coastal town of Mukah in central Sarawak is the 20th person to die of rabies since an outbreak in July 2017.

The man was bitten on May 21 by one of two dogs he had adopted from a relative in Sibu. He died on August 19 in the Bintulu hospital, a statement from the Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah’s office said today.

The man was bitten when feeding the dogs but refused advice to seek treatment, brushing off the wound as “not serious,” the statement said, quoting the Mukah veterinary office’s report.

It was only when he fell seriously ill on August 6 that he sought medical attention at the Bintulu hospital which was 150km away.

Uggah, who is the state Disaster Management Committee chairman, said his life could have been saved if he had only listened to advice.

“Please seek immediate treatment at the rabies clinic if you have been bitten or scratched by dogs or cats or monkeys,” Uggah repeated the advice.

He said obeying “this simple rule” will save your life.

Records by the state Health Department showed the state recorded an average of 40 to 60 dog and cat bites daily.

 Uggah also warned owners to certify their new pets are rabies free.

“Make sure you know where your pet originates from, whether it has been vaccinated or not.”

Two siblings, a six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother, were the first to die of the infection in the Sarawak outbreak.

They were said to have been bitten by an uncle’s puppy that had been infected by dogs from neighbouring Kalimantan.

Their village is just a stone’s throw from the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

Since then, 21 people have contracted the disease mainly from the bite of infected animals. 

The only survivor among these is an eight-year-old boy who is reported to be in a vegetative state. – October 10, 2019.