Animal vaccination at Taman Malihah multi-purpose hall Friday, Saturday

KUCHING: State Veterinary Services Department will be holding a public awareness campaign over the dreaded rabies following the State Disaster Management Committee’s declaration that Taman Alamanda Indah and the surrounding areas within the radius of 10km, is a rabies-infected area.

The campaign will be held at Taman Malihah multi-purpose hall from 8am until 9pm this Friday ( Sept 15), followed by an animal vaccination programme from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday (Sept 16).

“Members of the public are requested to come over to these two programmes. They are to bring along their pets on Saturday.

“The animal vaccination programme will be extended to homes at Taman Alamanda Indah, Matang,” the committee said.

As at 3pm yesterday, 110 dogs and 15 cats from Matang area had been given anti-rabies vaccine.

Cumulatively, a total of 35,671 animals comprising 27,767 dogs, 7,859 cats and 45 other animals have been vaccinated since the outbreak was declared in June.

The committee will continue surveillance, detection and preventive activities to control further spread of the virus.

Taman Alamanda Malihah in Matang is the 24th area declared rabies-infected following the rabies positive result of one sample obtained from the housing estate recently.

Most of rabies-infected areas were located in Serian, namely villages such as Krait, Paon Rimu, Paon Rimu Bakung, Remun, Lebor, Saroban, Tangga, Ampungan, Mentong Berawan, Mentong Silaga, Engkabang, Tampek Sumpas, Rasau, Temong Mura, Entubuh, and town areas such as Siburan, Serian and Mile 45 Kuching- Serian road.

In Kuching, the rabies-infected areas are Mile 5 Jalan Semeba, Sungai Maong wet market, Serikin in Bau apart from Taman Allamanda Indah while in Sri Aman it is Rumah Janta Punggu Mawang.

Since the outbreak in June, the rabies virus has taken the lives of four children and a 52-year- old man.

The local authorities have thus far caught a total of 1,478 stray dogs from Kuching, Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Samarahan and Betong and put them out of the street as one of the preventive measures, the committee said.

For more information and clarification, the committee’s secretariat office can be reached at 082- 443991, 082- 446991 and 082447960.