SERIAN: A fourth rabies victim was confirmed to have contracted the rabies virus which has claimed the lives of two siblings here.
The latest case was of a 5-year-old girl from Kampung Ampungan who is now at the Sarawak General Hospital Intensice Care Unit.
Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the girl developed fever, pain on her left arm and other symptoms related to the virus on July 3.
When her condition worsened the following day, she was sent to the Serian Hospital before being referred to the Sarawak General Hospital.
“A lab test confirmed she had contracted the virus,” he said in a statement.
Investigations showed the girl was bitten by a dog in Kampung Saroban on May 27, he said.
Kampong Saroban is located within a 10km radius of another village, Kampung Lebor, where a 7-year-old girl was also infected by the disease earlier and remains in critical condition at the same hospital.
A boy and her sister, aged four and six respectively, died after contracting the disease. The siblings, Jackson Maslan and Monica from Kampung Paon Rimu here died on July 3.
Dr Noor Hisham said 11 health teams have been deployed for Active Case Detection in the district.
The team has conducted door-to-door checks at 86 housing estates since the outbreak of the virus was detected last month.
“The teams have visited 3,284 houses and interviewed 7,583 villagers to check on people with history of being bitten by dogs.
“A total of 192 dog bite cases have been detected and the victims have been treated,” he said.