TWO deaths due to rabies involving humans have been reported in Sarawak this year, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the first case involved a 52-year-old Malaysian man who denied having a history of being bitten or attacked by a dog or other mammals.

“However, he had caught and killed a pet dog, but the carcass of the dog was not handed over to the Sarawak Veterinary Service Department for investigation.

“On January 31, 2021, he was warded at the Sibu Hospital when he came to seek treatment for chest pain, numbness in the right hand, vomiting and shortness of breath.

“His health deteriorated and he died on February 8 with the cause of death being due to rabies infection,” he said in a statement today.

The second case, he said, involved a 54-year-old Malaysian who was referred to the Sarawak General Hospital on March 5 for weakness in the legs, body pain, fever, nausea and loss of appetite.

“He was bitten by his pet dog on December 26, 2020 on the right chest while handling the dog. and on the same day, the dog was taken by the local government authority to be euthanised, but no samples for rabies test were taken.

“The victim also never sought treatment for dog bite and the result of the rabies PCR test on his saliva sample, which was conducted at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak on March 7, was positive. The victim was confirmed to have died on March 7 due to rabies,” said Noor Hisham.

With the report of the two cases this year, Sarawak has recorded a total of 33 cases of rabies, including 31 deaths, since the outbreak of the disease was declared on July 1, 2017.

The two surviving cases are children who sought early treatment. – Bernama, March 13, 2021.