DVS Sarawak staff administer the vaccine to a dog, while its owner holds onto it.
SERIAN (Sept 18): The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak has set a goal of zero human dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2025, said its director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud.
“It can only be achieved through public’s help and cooperation,” he said at the anti-rabies vaccination programme at Serian Community Hall yesterday.
On the programme, Dr Adrian said it was part of three programmes implemented simultaneously in Serian.
“That is, to promote responsible pet ownership, neutering for pet dogs and pet licensing under the Serian District Council (MDS),” he said.
The department has recorded a total of 47 reported rabies-related deaths since 2017 and has carried out anti-rabies vaccination programmes in 72 areas throughout Sarawak which are affected by the rabies outbreak, he noted.
“Dogs are required to be vaccinated and it is an offence under Section 40(1) if a pet dog is not vaccinated,” he stressed, adding that nearly 10,000 dogs have been vaccinated this year compared to 14,000 in previous year.
Meanwhile, DVS Sarawak assistant officer Cassandra Ch’ng said as of 4pm on Friday, the department had vaccinated 96 dogs for their first dose, with another 34 given a booster dose.
She added that a total of 36 dogs were registered by their owners for licensing purposes as well as for microchip implant at the Serian District Council counter.
Ch’ng said the option is given to cat owners to make an appointment and get their cats vaccinated at any nearby veterinary office throughout the state.
“Do not allow your cats to roam, especially if they are not vaccinated,” she said, adding that rabies secreted in saliva is most often passed through a bite wound from an infected animal.
The programme also involved a total of 18 staff from DVS headquarters, Sarawak State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (SVDL), MDS and Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and Place Borneo.