Durban child not rabid

A four year old Durban boy who was admitted to hospital on suspicion of having rabies has tested negative for the deadly virus.

The Kwazulu Natal Agriculture Department says the hospital sent samples of the boy's saliva, spinal cord fluid and a skin biopsy to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

It says the results came back negative.

Tests have, however, found that the child's nervous system isn't functioning properly.

The boy, who is from the Engonyameni area near Umlazi, was taken to hospital in a serious condition last month.

In April, he was bitten by a dog which was believed to be rabid.

The department's Jeffrey Zikhali says although the test results are negative, they can't 100 percent rule out rabies just yet.

"The dog was killed immediately after it bit the boy because they suspected it had rabies, but what the Department has done so far is to go back to the area and ask for the [dog] grave to be opened and we'll be doing further tests, and sending these to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases to make 100 percent sure that the dog was not suffering from rabies," he said.

- East Coast Radio