By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Sept 20: Cats are increasingly at risk of contracting rabies from dogs, a situation which Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian compared to the antics of “Tom and Jerry”.
He explained that just like the cartoon duo, cats and dogs are always playing with each other, making them highly susceptible to transmitting the disease.
“At the moment, rabies cases involving cats are only about 2 per cent.
“But if more dogs become infected, it will spread to more cats, and then cats can pass it back to humans. It goes around in a circle,” he told reporters after officiating World Rabies Day at the MBKS community hall today.
Underscoring the need for strong community engagement, Dr Sim who is also Sarawak Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, stressed that vaccinating at least half of the pet dog population could reduce the risk of rabies by 50 per cent.
“At the moment, the law does not require cats to be registered but if necessary, we may need to consider it in the future. We hope it will not come to that,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVSS) director Datu Dr Adrian Susin Ambud revealed that since the outbreak in 2017, a total of 278,000 animals has been vaccinated, including 10,957 this year alone.
He also revealed that out of 490 samples taken this year, 45 tested positive for rabies. Of these, about two per cent were cats while the rest were dogs.
Dr Adrian also said that nearly half of the positive cases were from owned dogs, most of which had not been vaccinated.
“About 50 per cent are positive. So we want to appeal to the public to come forward to have their dogs vaccinated, because this is free,” he urged.
Also present were MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng; Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) permanent secretary Datu Elizabeth Loh; Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (MFICORD) deputy permanent secretary Sayed Ismail Nasiruddin Wan Hashim; Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) deputy permanent secretary Desmond Douglas Jerukan; and Sarawak Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) president Datin Dona Drury Wee. — DayakDaily
