Red alert for rabies

IT’S past time for everyone to take the rabies outbreak in Sarawak seriously.

Last Saturday the State Disaster Management Committee decreed that all dogs in the state, whether infected or non-infected areas, must be vaccinated against rabies.

The order came as the state stepped up efforts to prevent the disease from spreading further. This came after a dog sample in Julau in Sarikei division tested positive for rabies on Dec 29 and 59-year-old Bong Fah Sin from Jalan Batu Kawa-Matang was confirmed as the seventh rabies victim on Jan 26.

“We are now going into another phase of the war against rabies. I have given instructions that all dogs throughout Sarawak within affected and non-affected areas be vaccinated.

“We have tried to contain the disease so far and the furthest area where we have a positive test is in Julau. We pray it stops there. That’s why it is very critical that dogs throughout Sarawak be vaccinated,” Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said.

To date, 29 areas in Serian, Sri Aman, Kuching, Samarahan and Sarikei divisions have been declared rabies-infected.

Bong passed away on Sunday, becoming the sixth rabies fatality in Sarawak since last July.

He was bitten by a dog on Nov 27 and sought treatment at a private clinic but was not referred to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) for follow-up treatment and vaccination.

His family are urging government and private clinics to take rabies seriously.

“The main thing we want people to know is that rabies is dangerous. Now that there is an outbreak, people need to realise that a dog bite can lead to rabies.

“The clinic that treated my father should have informed him about rabies and referred him to SGH for vaccination. This is such an important matter. Peoples’ lives are at stake,” Bong’s daughter Kim said.

Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian called for public cooperation to help curb the outbreak.

“It’s very sad that after our efforts to fight rabies, there was still a loss of life. There’s no question that the whole government machinery will continue (the efforts) to prevent any further loss of life.

“But this requires cooperation from the people,” he said.

On the ministry’s part, Dr Sim said local authorities will step up to ensure that hawker stalls and coffee shops keep their premises clean and not throw out food indiscriminately as part of measures to control the stray dog population.

He reiterated that the authorities’ war is against rabies, not dogs.

“Our slogan is ‘No Bite, No Rabies’. So look after your dogs well, keep them in the compound and get them vaccinated yearly against rabies.

“Then the dogs will be safe. And when the dog is safe, humans are safe,” Dr Sim said.

Let’s all take the necessary precautions and heed the authorities’ advice to stop rabies from spreading further and more importantly, prevent further fatalities.

As Dr Sim said, we want to make sure that Sarawak will be rabies-free and that can only happen when there are no more infections in animals or humans for at least two years.