PETALING JAYA: Veterinary authorities have tested 18 dogs in Changlun, Kedah, following a dog bite incident involving a 31-year-old man, prompting heightened disease surveillance along the Malaysian-Thai border.
The Veterinary Services Department (DVS) said it was alerted to the incident by the Kedah Health Department on Sept 24.
In response, DVS Kedah and the Kubang Pasu Municipal Council launched a joint operation, capturing 18 stray dogs in and around the bite location by Sept 28 to test for rabies.
"DVS Kedah is conducting further investigations and awaiting laboratory results to confirm whether rabies is present among the dog population in the state," the department said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 29).
Located within a 50km rabies buffer zone along the Thai border, Changlun falls under mandatory vaccination regulations under the Animals Act 1953.
As of August, DVS reported that 504 owned dogs in Kubang Pasu—and 1,349 across Kedah—have been vaccinated. All 164 routine surveillance samples collected statewide during the same period returned negative for rabies.
DVS noted that surveillance and sampling have been intensified across all border areas to prevent any potential spread into the country.
Rabies is a potentially fatal disease that attacks the nervous system.
Infected dogs may show behavioural changes including unusual aggression or friendliness, restlessness, unprovoked biting, weakness, loss of coordination, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation and paralysis.
The department urged the public not to approach stray, sick or unusually behaving dogs.
“If bitten or scratched by a dog or other animal suspected of carrying rabies, wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes,” it said, adding that victims should seek immediate medical treatment even if the wound appeared minor.
