KUCHING, Dec 9 —The Malaysian Health Ministry (KKM) has detected two new cases of suspected rabies among humans in Sarawak, said its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the ministry was still waiting for the laboratory test results of both these suspected cases.
“One suspected case is still under treatment and observation by the medical experts at the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS), involving a 64-year-old man from Kuching.
“Another suspected case is that of a man, 74, also from Kuching, who died on Dec 7 while undergoing treatment at the HUS with the cause of death being clinical rabies,” he said in a statement here today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the clinical specimens of both suspected rabies cases have been sent to the Institute of Medical Research and are being processed.
He said since June 30, 2017, there have been 14 confirmed rabies cases among humans in Sarawak, comprising 13 deaths while another victim was being treated at home with neurological complications.
He added that up till Dec 7 this year, the Sarawak government had declared 56 areas in 11 Divisions in Sarawak as rabies-infected areas.
Only Limbang is currently free of rabies among animals.
Dr Noor Hisham said the KKM and the Sarawak Health Department were committed and will continue to work with the state government, the Veterinary Services Department, other agencies and neighbouring countries to ensure that preventive and control measures are taken to combat rabies thoroughly and effectively.
“The cooperation of the public is needed to ensure these measures are successfully implemented to bring the rabies epidemic quickly under control,” he said. — Bernama
