By Karen Bong
KUCHING, April 29: In the first four months of this year, there have been nine reported cases of rabies in Sarawak, resulting in seven deaths.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said that an eight-year-old child in Kampung Melikin, Serian has also recently been infected with rabies after being bitten by a dog.
“Once again, we appealed for public collaboration because this is a serious matter of life and death. In April alone, there were already three cases reported in MBKS’ jurisdiction.
“We also appeal for understanding, especially from animal lovers. MBKS has so far removed 200 stray dogs in operations conducted within the council’s jurisdiction,” he said during his ShallWeeTalk live session today.
To protect pets and people from rabies, Wee said MBKS will engage the Department of Veterinary Sarawak (DVS) to carry our mass vaccination programmes in June after the Gawai holiday.
“Last year, 55 people died due to rabies. This statistic is quite high.
“As such, those who want to keep pets are advised to ensure their pets receive adequate vaccinations and do not let your pet animals out of the house compound. Sometimes, we see dogs chasing after people going for a morning run in the park,” he said.
Wee reminded that pet owners should be responsible, not only for the wellbeing of their dogs and cats but also towards the surrounding community.
“Let’s work together to bring the number of rabies cases down and eliminate rabies from Sarawak,” he added. — DayakDaily
