Rabies claims three lives

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Rabies has killed three people here over the past two weeks, and infected dozens of other who are now receiving intensive medical care.

The Eddy Sabara General Hospital told Antara that there had been 49 dog-bite cases recorded since January. Eighteen people, including an infant, were now being treated in the hospital.

I Made Suparta, the head of the animal health section at the provincial agriculture and husbandry office here, said on Tuesday that the incidence of rabies had been increasing over the past five years.

In 1996, there were 10 cases of rabies which killed three people. The number of rabies cases increased to 31 in 1999, with 19 of them proving to be fatal.

Last year, there were 45 cases of rabies, but only one person died.

This year, however, the number of cases increased again.

"Most of those who died were late in going to a doctor," said Zamrud, a doctor at the Eddy Sabara General Hospital.

Zamrud asked people to be careful of stray dogs and to vaccinate their pets. (hdn)