Baby attacked by rats readied for skin-graft surgery

After being cleaned up and given antitetanus medicine, the one-year-old baby boy attacked by rats in Pasay City was transferred to a surgical ward to prepare for a skin-grafting operation. Q-11 television reported Thursday that Roberto "Obet" Estrella Jr was transferred from the intensive care unit to the surgical ward of the Pasay City General Hospital. Doctors said Baby Obet will be given enough time at the surgical ward to rest, have his wounds heal, and gather strength for skin-grafting operations. Earlier, doctors said Obet's condition had improved after being brought to the hospital. They said three of his five wounds were deep, reaching into the bone. Last weekend, Baby Obet was seriously injured after rats attacked him inside his mother's shanty in Pasay City. Roberto's mother Juvy said she left him inside their house at Zamora Street about 8 p.m. to do laundry work. She said she left him in the care of his 10-year-old cousin. When she returned an hour later, she saw Roberto alone in the house, rats already feasting on him. His cousin reportedly went outside to play and watch television. The "rat attack" triggered a citywide cleanup drive in the city's residential areas as ordered by Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao "Peewee" Trinidad. Trinidad said that while it is the responsibility of homeowners to make sure their houses are clean, he wants the citywide cleanup drive to prevent any possible epidemic. He also offered financial assistance to the victim's family, after Obet's mother Juvy sought assistance for his mounting medical bills. - GMANews.TV