IN August 2015, two persons were reported to have fallen victim to rabies in Penang, ending Malaysia’s clean ‘rabies record’ since 1999.
At that time, Penang’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ordered more than 20,000 stray dogs in the state to be destroyed, sparking an uproar among dog lovers and animal protection organisations. The Penang government was criticised for its ‘brutality’ in dealing with the problem.
Last month, rabies reared its ugly head in Sarawak, claiming the lives of four children in Serian Division. This has gripped the attention of the whole country and triggered panic among the people. As the vast majority of rabies cases are caused by dogs, naturally, the canine species has become the focus of public angst. Even families owning dogs have started to keep their pets in isolation.
It seems the maxim – prevention is better than cure – does not gel with our way of life. We only panic and take counter-measures after things go bad. Rabies is a preventable viral disease, according to the World Health Organisation. There are vaccines to immunise dogs.
Yes, dogs are the main hosts of the rabies virus but it can also be spread through other animals such as cats, wild ferrets, bats, birds and rodents. Canada had an epidemic in which raccoons were found the carriers of the rabies virus. That country used helicopters to spray vaccines to contain the epidemic and the move produced positive results.
Perhaps our ‘clean streak’ since 1999 has led us to become complacent. It is only when new cases of rabies start to emerge that proper education on the disease and vaccinations are prioritised. The loss of four young lives in Serian could have been prevented if we had been vigilant enough in keeping the disease at bay – certainly not taking for granted that rabies has died out and will no longer return to haunt us.
In Malaysia, most people keep dogs as pets but callous treatment has led to an increase in stray dogs and cats and this has become a problem. There are tens of thousands of stray dogs in Penang alone and they pose a serious health hazard to the community at large.
When the government starts to dispose of these strays, it will inevitably lead to an outcry from animal organisations. But the bottom-line is these dogs and cats have become feral and disease-carriers because of our fault. Some organisations are trying to save money, or perhaps, they just think it’s too cruel to give rabid animals ligation surgery while some organisations forego basic vaccinations altogether.
For rabies prevention, our authorities should put in place stringent regulations. Hong Kong, although densely populated, is home to around 200,000 pet dogs but their regulations against rabies are efficiently enforced. Dogs there must be vaccinated and re-vaccinated every three years. The Hong Kong government is strict in eliminating stray dogs since these homeless canines are usually the main carriers of the rabies virus.
Malaysia too has regulations for dog ownership but apart from the application of licence, it is not compulsory for dogs to be vaccinated. It is high time for a serious rethink on this potentially deadly inadequacy.
In the wake of the rabies scare, I hope our government will learn from Hong Kong in preventing and eliminating rabies. The Health Ministry should start vaccinating children especially in high-risk areas as soon as possible to prevent more deaths from mad dog disease.