Health DG advises precaution against rabies

Beware of dogs! That's the key message from the Department of Health to people in the three states declared as rabies-infected.

Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today the people should seek immediate treatment if they had been bitten by pet or stray dogs.

They must also report to the local authorities the presence of stray dogs in their residential areas, he said in a statement.

Dr Noor Hisham said the people should always maintain a high level of cleanliness, like washing their hands often with soap and water after coming into contact with their pet dogs.

Perlis, Kedah and Penang have been declared rabies-infected as of Sept 17.

However, no human beings have tested positive for the disease so far.

As of Sept 17, there were 39 cases of people having been bitten by dogs in Perlis (25 cases), Kedah (nine) and Penang (five). Ten of the 39 dogs were confirmed to be rabid.

Dr Noor Hisham said all those bitten by dogs had been administered anti-rabies vaccine and their health was being monitored.

He said rabies was a zoonotic disease caused by the Lyssavirus, and humans could be infected if bitten by rabid dogs as well as through cuts on the skin exposed to the saliva, fluids and tissue of infected animals.

"The rabies incubation period for humans is between two and 12 weeks, but there have been reports that it could stretch up to six years," he added.

A person who had contracted rabies would suffer from fever, body aches, headache, hydrophobia and paralysis and go into a coma, he said.

"Rabies can result in death if not treated immediately," he added.