By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 29: Sarawak is tightening surveillance and enforcement of cross-border animal movements to prevent rabies from spreading or being reintroduced across administrative boundaries.
According to a report by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas), Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg highlighted that Sarawak’s geographical position in Borneo and its close ties with neighbouring territories make regional cooperation vital to controlling and ultimately eradicating the disease.
“Rabies knows no boundaries. This disease does not distinguish between districts, states, or countries. Therefore, our efforts to address it cannot be limited to administrative boundaries alone,” he said.
His speech was read by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian at the joint launch of Rabies in Asia (RIA) 2026 and Rabies in Borneo (RIB) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
The Premier emphasised the need to continually strengthen the Immune Belt Enforcement Team (IBET), particularly in border areas vulnerable to animal movement, noting its critical role in ground-level surveillance, enforcement and preventive measures. A total of 113 IBET members attended the event.
Sarawak is also maintaining broader rabies control measures, including vaccination, active surveillance, public awareness, and multi-agency collaboration. Key among these initiatives is the Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) program, designed to reach stray dogs that are difficult to capture through conventional means.
In its latest field deployment, the program distributed 2,281 oral vaccine baits alongside vaccinating 3,579 dogs.
Abang Johari stressed that eradicating rabies cannot be shouldered by the government alone; it requires technical expertise, field experience, community participation, and aligned partner organisations. In line with this, the State continues to champion the One Health approach, uniting veterinary and public health sectors, enforcement agencies, local authorities, researchers, animal welfare groups and local communities.
Furthermore, he noted that expanding the Rabies in Borneo platform into Rabies in Asia creates valuable opportunities for Sarawak to broaden international collaboration in surveillance, vaccination, animal movement control, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
“The goal of eradicating rabies cannot be achieved by one country, one agency, or one profession alone. It requires sustained commitment and, most importantly, cooperation,” he added, reinforcing that continued joint action is essential until the eradication target is fully achieved. — DayakDaily
