13-year-old girl dies from rabies, reports NGO

ANIMAL KINGDOM FOUNDATION FB

MANILA, Philippines — A 13 year old girl died after contracting rabies from a dog bite she got just months before.

According to the non-government organization (NGO) Animal Kingdom Foundation, Jamaica was bitten by a dog on February 9, just months before she passed away.

READ: DOH records 89 rabies cases in Q1 of 2024

She was even able to narrate her own experience and managed to log the events: “11:50 a.m. April 5: I had a hard time breathing; I started to search on [YouTube about] rabid humans. Gosh, those children… they will literally die slowly and painfully, and the hydrophobia that they were experiencing [was] the same as mine,” she said, as shared by her mother.

Jamaica said she was afraid to tell her family that she was bitten due to her fear of disappointing her parents.

She then expressed her hope that her case would raise awareness on rabies and the dangers of it.

The NGO, for its part, also echoed Jamaica’s own sentiments, reminding the public to have their pets vaccinated, as prevention is better since there is no cure for the disease.

“May this sad incident set an example [of] how fatal rabies is. Rabies is no joke, and prevention is better because there is no cure once the symptoms start to manifest,” said the NGO in a Facebook statement.

“Vaccinate your pets, get pre-exposure and post-exposure anti-rabies shots,” it added.

According to the Department of Health, it has so far recorded 89 total cases of rabies from January to March of 2024.

All 89 cases resulted in deaths since there is still no cure for the disease.