‘Rabies is a major public health problem that is almost always 100 per cent fatal if not treated immediately.’
– Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian
MY dear friends, do you know that there is a rabies clinic at the Tanah Putih Health Clinic in Kuching and a Dog Bite Clinic at the Sarawak General Hospital, also in Kuching?
I didn’t until I was bitten by my own pet cat, Mimi last Sunday.
Mimi was arguing with another cat that morning; it was in my house while the other cat was in the garden. They were separated by a gate.
Tired of hearing the growling, I poured some water on the other cat. When I passed Mimi, it suddenly bit me twice on my right foot. That was around 11 am. I was shocked because it had never done that before.
I quickly washed the wounds under running water and then proceeded to go to work.
By 2.30 pm, my foot was swollen. So I quickly drove to a clinic in MetroCity, Matang, where I worked. The doctor there gave me a tetanus injection and some antibiotics.
My son, daughter-in-law, niece and younger sister were very worried that night when they heard I had been bitten by Mimi. They insisted I consult another doctor the next morning and ask for a rabies injection.
When I consulted a doctor I had known for a long time in Tabuan Jaya, he advised me to go immediately to the rabies clinic at Tanah Putih Health Cinic.
He asked me whether my cat had been vaccinated against rabies. I said, “Yes, but it is not confined to the house.”
The doctor said I should get a rabies vaccination which was available at the Tanah Putih Health Clinic or the Sarawak General Hospital.
He said there was a case of someone who died two months after being bitten by a cat. This person did not seek help for his wounds and was not vaccinated against rabies.
The doctor went on to inform me that rabies vaccinations were very expensive at private medical centres and would cost around RM1000 each. He said private medical practitioners like himself had been instructed by the government to refer patients with cat or dog bites to the Tanah Putih Health Clinic or the Emergency Ward at the Sarawak General Hospital.
The doctor said I should have gone immediately to the Emergency Ward at the Sarawak General Hospital on Sunday after being bitten by my cat.
After consulting the doctor on Monday morning (April 13), I immediately rushed to the Tanah Putih Health Clinic.
When I arrived at the clinic, I was surprised to find many people of various races including children waiting outside the rabies clinic. Later, I learnt that most of the patients had been bitten either by their own cats or cats in their neighbourhood. Only one old Chinese woman had been bitten by a neighbour’s dog she was feeding.
By the time I received my human rabies vaccines — one jab each on the upper right arm and upper left arm — I was instructed by the young woman doctor there to rush to the Dog Bite Clinic at the Sarawak General Hospital before it closed at 4 pm.
Because of the time constraint, I had no choice but to leave my car behind at Tanah Putih and ask my son to send me to the Dog Bite Clinic.
At the Sarawak General Hospital, before going to the clinic, I had to register myself at Counter 10. I later discovered that was where I had to settle any payment for the treatment. Because I was a senior citizen, the treatment was free for me.
My son managed to find the location of the Dog Bite Clinic with the help of Google Maps. At the clinic, I was surprised to find many people who had been bitten by cats or dogs.
It was another long wait at the Dog Bite Clinic. When it was time for the young male head doctor to attend to me, he injected me four times — one jab near each bite wound. I found the injections very painful. I am not sure whether they contained Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) which provided antibodies for high-risk wounds. But by the next morning, my right foot was not swollen anymore.
I went back to Tanah Putih Health Clinic for my second human rabies vaccines last Thursday, April 16. I will return to the clinic for my third rabies vaccines tomorrow.
Based on recent reports, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian has highlighted the severity of the rabies outbreak. He pointed out that the disease was a ‘major public health problem’ that was ‘almost always 100 per cent’ fatal if not treated immediately.
He said,” If you are bitten by a rabid dog and do not get treatment immediately, you will die. That is the message we must put into people’s heads.”
Dr Sim also stated, “Rabies transcends borders and knows no boundaries. Close contact, scratches or handling the carcass of an infected animal without protection can still pose a high risk of infection.”
He warned that rabies continued to be a serious threat, with about half of reported bites and scratches involving cats in addition to stray dogs.
Before I end my column this week, I have a few words of advice for you all, my friends.
If you have been bitten by a
dog or cat in Kuching, please go to the Emergency Ward at the Sarawak General Hospital immediately. Rabies injections are essential for anyone bitten, scratched or exposed to the saliva of a potentially rabid animal and for high-risk individuals needing prevention.
When cats fight or argue, it is often due to territorial disputes, redirected aggression or competition for resources. Don’t interfere to avoid bites or scratches. Let the animals fight or argue as long as they want. This is a valuable lesson that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
