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MEDAN – At least 10 people from a number of districts/cities have died from rabies (mad dog or Lyssa disease) in North Sumatra in 2014.

Chair of Information Management and Documentation of North Sumatra Health Services, Afwan Lubis, through Head of the Disease Mitigation and Eradication Section, Sukarni, said there were 2,949 people involved in bite cases in 33 districts/cities in North Sumatra. “A total of 2,250 people were given human rabies vaccines (post exposure treatment/PET), some animal specimens were positive,” said Sukarni on Friday (30/1).

The highest number of cases occurred in Dairi with 461 bite victims with 461 people given PET and 1 human Lyssa case. In Medan there were 266 bite victims, 158 people given PET, 1 human death and 8 animal specimens diagnosed positive with rabies. In North Tapanuli there were 250 bite victims, 172 people given PET and 1 Lyssa case. In Humbahas there were 216 bite victims and 156 people given PET. Sukarni explained that rabies is an acute infectious (zoonotic) disease affecting the central nervous system. The disease is caused by a virus which could be contracted from [infected] dogs, cats and monkeys. Animals or people with clinical symptoms of the disease typically die.

Early clinical symptoms, said Sukarni, range from fever, malaise, nausea, and several days of throat soreness. In the sensory stage, patients feel pain, heat and pin prickles at the bite site. It is then followed by anxiety and overreaction towards sensory stimuli. “In the excited stage, muscle tone and sympathetic activity increases with symptoms of hyperhidrosis, hypersalivation, hyperlacrimation and pupil dilatation. Everybody with rabies symptoms eventually dies,” said Sukarni.
Meanwhile Secretary of Medan City Health Services, Irma Suryani, explained there were 265 people bitten in Medan in 2014 where 160 received PET. To prevent future rabies cases, said Irma, Medan Health Services has established Rabies Centers in a number of Community Health Centers in the city. “These Rabies Centers are located in Bestari and Sunggal Community Health Centers,” she said. (Prawira)

Source : Medan Bisnis