SARAWAK, INDONESIA IN JOINT EFFORTS

Rabies-infected areas located along Sarawak-Kalimantan border

ADIB POVERA

PADAWAN adibpovera@nst.com.my

DELEGATES from Sarawak government will meet the Indonesian authorities today to deliberate and formulate ways to prevent the spread of rabies in the wake of the viral disease outbreak, which claimed the lives of four children this month.

Leading the entourage from the state government is Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, who will be accompanied by state Local Government and Housing Minister Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at the Indonesian Consulate in Kuching near here.

Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Abang Openg said the state government was compelled to convene the meeting since villages declared as rabiesinfected areas were located along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

“The meeting will be held to promote knowledge-sharing initiatives, where Sarawak and Indonesia are able to alert each other if cases of rabies are detected in our respective territories.

“We also wanted to discuss on ways to establish buffer zones (to prevent or control the spread of the virus) along the (Sarawak Kalimantan) border.

“Based on reports, there are dogs (from Kalimantan) that came to our side and vice-versa. The animals live along the border,” Abang Johari said during the free vaccination campaign at the 10th mile community hall here yesterday.

The campaign was aimed at promoting awareness about rabies virus among dog owners staying near the 10th mile area.

Present were Douglas, Dr Sim and state Veterinary Services Department acting director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud.

When asked if areas located along the border were susceptible to the virus, Abang Johari said this was likely and that the state government had initiated mitigation efforts, including establishing buffer zones surrounding villages declared as rabies-infected areas.

“We are focusing on efforts to curb the virus by vaccinating the dogs in these areas.

“Villages and housing estates will be declared as rabies infected areas if dogs are found positive of the virus.

“We will then establish buffer zone areas within 10km from the rabies-infected areas,” he said.

On the study being conducted by the Veterinary Services Department to establish an “immune belt” along the border in Sarawak, Abang Johari said the state government was looking into the matter.

The federal and state governments, he said, had spent almost RM3 million to contain the outbreak in Serian since last month.

A total of RM2.4 million was spent by the Federal Government to purchase anti-rabies vaccines to be used by the state Veterinary Services Department.

The state government had spent RM500,000 to purchase vaccines and equipments for frontline workers involved in the vaccination effort.

Four children, including two siblings, aged between 4 and 7, died from rabies infection. A 52year-old man from Kampung Remun has been identified as the fifth person to have contracted the virus. It is learnt that he is in critical condition at Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said 18 villages in the state, mostly located along the border, were gazetted as rabies-infected areas.