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INGARAJA: Sixteen-year-old I Putu Juniartana was reported to have died of suspected rabies-related disease at Buleleng Regional Hospital on Thursday, adding to the island’s 147 victims of rabies since the deadly disease emerged in November 2008.

Juniartana was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday when he showed symptoms of rabies like difficulty breathing, hydrophobia and a sore throat.

Nyoman Mardana, the hospital’s director, said that Juniartana’s family said the boy was bitten by a dog in his village in Banjar about a year ago.

I Nyoman Sutedja, head of the province’s health agency, said that dog bite cases in Bali remained high, with 130 cases per day despite the province’s ambitious target to eliminate its rabies outbreak by the end of 2012. — JP