A veterinarian prepares a dosage of rabies vaccine in this file photo. Reuters File Photo
KUCHING: The fourth rabies victim from Serian has died at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) today.
An official statement from the State Disaster Management Committee confirmed the death of five-year-old Florencesia Edward from Kampung Ampungan, at 2.05 pm due to rabies encephalomyelitis.
She had been warded at the Intensive Care Unit of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) since July 4.
On May 27, the girl was bitten by a dog in Kampung Seroban, located within a 10km radius from the area where the three earlier cases were detected.
On July 3, she showed symptoms of fever, with pain in her left arm and she appeared lethargic. She was sent to Serian Hospital and transferred to SGH the next day (July 4) where she was later placed at the ICU as her condition worsened.
Lab result from July 11 confirmed that she had contracted the rabies virus.
Florencesia was the second of three children. Her other siblings are aged six and four.
Her death was just days after the third victim, a seven-year-old girl from Kampung Lebur, succumbed to the disease last Thursday. A six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother from Kampung Paon Sungai Rimu died of the disease on July 4.
(more to follow)