By NewsDesk @bactiman63
The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) is reporting an additional human rabies case in Sarawak state.
The case is a 42-year-old man who was admitted to Sarawak General Hospital on Oct. 15 due to weakness and unable to walk. He also had difficulty sleeping due to hallucinations, loss of appetite and difficulty drinking before being admitted to the hospital.
He died on Oct. 20 with a diagnosis of rabies encephalitis.
This brings the total number of rabies cases among people in Sarawak in 2020 to five people. This increase is also the 27th case since the rabies epidemic was declared in Sarawak on 31 July 2017.
Investigations have found no history of dog or other animal bites occurring in this case. He has kept seven cats where five have received an anti-rabies vaccine injection from the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) a day after the case experienced symptoms. All of these cats are healthy and have no behavioral changes. The family of the case informed that no animal was found sick or dead within six months in the locality area of the case house.
Although this case cannot be attributed to the history of dog or animal bites, it is generally known that rabies infections are caused by animal bites infected with the rabies virus (rabid animal). He was confirmed to be infected with the rabies virus through laboratory tests conducted by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) on 20 October 2020.
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