Malaysia: 16th human rabies death reported in Sarawak this year
Health officials in Malaysia’s largest state of Sarawak report an additional human case and fatality due to rabies this month.
The latest case is a 44-year-old who presented with symptoms of rabies in late November.
While she denied having any animal bites, it is reported she had a half-dozen unvaccinated cats that roamed free. One of her cats died recently.
She never sought rabies post- exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
This is the 16th human rabies death and 18th total case reported in Sarawak through December 13 this year.
The eighteen cases are distributed in the following divisions of Sarawak: Sibu (5), Serian (4), Kuching (4), Bintulu (3) and Samarahan (2).
Since the rabies outbreak was declared in Sarawak in 2017, 73 human cases, including 66 deaths have been reported, according to officials.
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is transmitted to humans or other mammals usually through the saliva from a bite of an infected animal. It is also rarely contracted through breaks in the skin or contact with mucous membranes.
According to the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, all mammals are susceptible to rabies. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, coyotes and cats are the likely suspects. Other animals like otters and ferrets are also high risk. Mammals like rabbits, squirrels, rodents and opossums are rarely infected.
Globally, rabies is estimated to cause 59,000 human deaths in more than 150 countries, the majority (95%) of which occur in African and Asian countries. Given that rabies is a globally prevalent neglected tropical disease and that many rabies cases remain either unreported or underreported, the extent of the disease remains blurred.
PEP is an effective emergency response to any rabies exposure, preventing the virus from entering the central nervous system. The immediate post-exposure responses include (1) washing the wound externally with water and soap for at least 15 minutes after a suspected exposure, (2) administering a potent and effective WHO-standardized rabies vaccine course, and (3) administering rabies immunoglobulin and/or monoclonal antibodies.