Sibu to hold operation to rid the division of the deadly disease immediately, starting with areas under SRDC
Dr Annuar (seated centre), (from second left) Siaw, Dr Cheong, Sempurai and others posing after the press conference on rabies prevention for Sibu Division.
SIBU: A rabies control programme has been drawn up and will be implemented immediately to keep Sibu Division rabies-free, says Assistant Minister of Housing and Public Health Dr Annuar Rapaee.
He said this following detection of rabies in a stray dog in Julau, Sarikei (some 50 km from here) on Dec 30 last year and two similar cases on Jan 8 this year.
Dr Annuar, who is also Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research, disclosed that the programme includes removal and vaccination of strays and vaccination to have at least 70 per cent of stray dogs here vaccinated during the operation which is targeted to end within a month.
He said the leading agencies involved in the programme include Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), Sibu Rural District (SRDC) and Kanowit District Council (KDC) with support from the state Veterinary Department and police.
“First of all, I wish to emphasise that currently there is no rabies case in Sibu. However, rabies has been detected in a stray dog in Julau, Sarikei on 30 December 2017. Subsequently another two cases were detected also in Julau on Jan 8, 2018.
“In order to keep Sibu Division rabies-free, a rabies control programme has been drawn up and will be implemented immediately. This is crucial to prevent dogs in Sibu being affected by rabies.
“We do not want to have any rabies cases among the dogs in Sibu,” he told a press conference at Sibu Resident’s Office yesterday.
Adding that the operation’s tagline is ‘No free roaming dogs, No rabies’, the Nangka assemblyman said the first operation will be removal of strays by SRDC from Jan 20 till 21, which will be extended to SMC and KDC.
He said the public can also help with the removal exercise by sending photographs and location of stray dogs through WhatsApp to 013-8077964 (Ranggie) or by reporting directly to 084-310808.
Dr Annuar also disclosed that the operation room has been set up and is headed by Sibu Resident Charles Siaw.
He said the operation room will monitor the number of dogs vaccinated on a daily basis.
“We must vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the dogs in Sibu within two weeks.”
Expounding on the vaccination, he said it takes 28 days for the injection to be effective or produce antibody for the dog.
Hence, it is vital for pet owners to keep their dogs within their compound at least for a month as confining the dogs will lessen the risk of them getting infected, he explained.
He further said a mass vaccination exercise will be carried out in the community hall in Sibu Jaya on Jan 20 (9am to 4pm) and Jan 21 (9am to 2pm) and vaccinated dogs will be tagged using a plastic chain and issued with a certificate by the Veterinary Department.
He assured that there will be enough vaccines for the exercise.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Local Government and Housing head of Public Health Dr Cheong Yaw Liang said the programme is to remove free roaming dogs – stray dogs, community dogs or any dog registered with council but moving freely.
He said under Clause 37 of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance any dog within the outbreak area deemed to have contact with a rabid dog or an infested area would be destroyed.
He also said a dog registered with a council with a tag and caught would be kept for 48 hours for the owners to claim and pay for the compound.
However, dogs that show aggression and signs and symptoms of rabies will be put to sleep and sent for sampling, explained Dr Cheong.
Dr Annuar also informed that 5,000 medical education pamphlets will be distributed this week to school children here to create more awareness of the disease.
Among those present were SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, deputy chairman Robert Lau, and SMC acting secretary Jong Thian Puk.