Bintulu man becomes Sarawak’s 4th rabies fatality for 2026

In a statement, the state health department said the man was bitten by a puppy in mid-February but did not seek treatment at any health facility.

“The man had only washed his wound with water for less than five minutes.

“On April 26, the patient began experiencing weakness in his limbs and refused to drink water before he was taken to Bintulu Hospital on the same day. Laboratory tests later confirmed rabies infection,” the department said.

The third rabies fatality recorded in Sarawak involved a 10-year-old boy in Kuching who was bitten by a stray dog on Feb 11 before his condition deteriorated, leading to his death on March 18.

The first case involved a 22-year-old woman in Petra Jaya who was scratched by a stray cat in July and the second case involved a 67-year-old housewife in Batu Kawa who was bitten by a stray dog on Aug 30.

Since the rabies outbreak was declared in July 2017, a cumulative total of 94 human rabies cases has been reported in the state. Of these, 87 cases resulted in death, representing a fatality rate of 92.6%.

From Jan 1 to May 2 or up to epidemiological week 17 of 2026, a total of 8,171 animal bite cases were reported in Sarawak, averaging 480 cases per week.

Of these, 5,206 cases (63.7%) involved cat bites or scratches, followed by 2,841 dog bite cases (34.8%), while 124 cases (1.5%) involved other animals.

Most incidents involved pets, accounting for 5,610 cases (68.6%), compared with 2,561 cases (31.4%) involving stray animals.