PUTRAJAYA: The decision to cull stray dogs in the event of a rabies outbreak should not be disputed as it is permissible under the law, said Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizam.
He defended the culling of stray dogs in rabies-infected areas.
“The incubation period can last up to six months. It’s not something visible.
“If we have to put down a dog, then we will put it down. We don’t want to take any risks,” he said, adding that the department’s main priority was to stop rabies from spreading.
Dr Quaza maintained that the two rabies cases in Kuala Sepetang near Taiping, Perak, were “isolated incidents”.
“There is no need yet to carry out mass vaccination in Peninsula Malaysia outside of the rabies-infected area.
“We hope to solve the matter within a week,” he added.
As the vaccine was not readily available, he said risk assessment had to be carried out before deciding on vaccinations outside of Kuala Sepetang.
He dismissed talk that the outbreak in Sarawak was due to local dogs mating with rabid dogs from Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“We don’t know (what caused the rabies outbreak) actually. There have been positive cases of rabies in Kalimantan but the border is porous, where movement of people and animals happens all the time.
“The main problem is when infected dogs are brought in. It has nothing to do with dogs mating,” he said.
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