The 11-year-old boy hospitalized in critical condition is believed to have contracted rabies 10 days ago, after a dog scratched his back as he was petting another stray. The boy then developed symptoms that include headaches, overall fatigue, loss of appetite, excitedness and a 39.3 degrees fever.

According to the National Public Health Agency, the boy’s condition rapidly deteriorated already in hospital and yesterday he developed specific symptoms like aerophobia (fear of draughts of fresh air), loss of voice and others that made rabies the most likely diagnosis. A spokesperson for the Agency told IPN the diagnosis has been confirmed only clinically yet.

The boy loved to spend time with cats and dogs, including stray ones, so occasional scratches and unserious bites on his skin were not an uncommon sight and apparently didn’t alert anyone.

The case is believed to have happened in Chisinau’s suburban village of Ciorescu, and sanitary authorities are scouring the area to locate potentially infected animals. Vitalie Carauș, head of the municipal animal welfare agency, told IPN that animals in this area are vaccinated each year.

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