A Norwegian woman befriended a stray puppy while vacationing in the Philippines and wound up paying for her act of kindness with her life. As reported by the New York Post, weeks after finding and playing with a stray puppy, 24-year-old Birgitte Kallestad became ill and died from rabies.
Kallestad and her friends had picked the stray pup up and transported it back to their resort – at some point, Kallestad sustained “minor bites and scratches,” from the puppy and although she cleaned the wounds, they proved to be fatal.
Not long after returning home, Kallestad got sick – she was admitted to the same hospital where she worked and just over a week later, she died. Officials recently confirmed that her cause of death was the rabies virus.
According to the World Health Organization, rabies continues to be a notable health concern in the Philippines – in fact, the country is one of the top 10 countries with a rabies problem. People visiting countries where rabies is known to exist should avoid interacting with stray animals. If a bite or scratch occurs, it is imperative to seek medical attention as soon as possible – by the time that symptoms are present, rabies is almost always fatal.
(screenshot via Instagram)
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A miraculous recovery
She is in heaven now with the other angels–watching over us and our animals!
How sad her kindness to the puppy ended like this. She only meant well. My sincere condolences to her family and friends. This kind soul will certainly be missed.