Five-year-old’s death believed to be due to rabies

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SIBU: A five-year-old girl who passed away at Sibu Hospital on Thursday is believed to have been a victim of rabies.

The girl had been bitten by a stray dog early this month at Jalan Sentosa.

“She was admitted to the hospital yesterday (Thursday) and passed away last night,” said Sibu divisional health officer Dr Teh Jo Hun.

Dr Teh said the girl had been brought to the hospital to seek treatment after she was bitten by the stray dog.

“She was given all the anti-bodies and vaccination at the hospital. However, her condition deteriorated and she began to develop symptoms before she was admitted yesterday.”

He said Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) enforcement officers went to the area to investigate the case but the stray dog had died the day after it attacked the girl.

However, Dr Teh said it had yet to be confirmed whether or not the girl died from rabies as they had to wait for blood test results from Kuching and Kuala Lumpur.

He said in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the results are likely to take some time due to the lack of flights.

“The official reason will only be announced by the State Disaster Management Committee,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Teh reminded the public to inform Sibu Municipal Council should they come across stray dogs in their area.