S’wak to have its own veterinary diagnostic lab soon to save cost in sending samples

KUCHING: The setting up of a veterinary diagnostic laboratory at the Department of Veterinary Services ( DVS) here can help the government save up to tens of thousands of ringgit.

Kuching Divisional Veterinary officer Dr Nicholas Jenek said the expenses incurred to send samples and specimens including body parts of dogs for lab testing in Kuala Lumpur could easily take up RM10,000 a month, especially during the rabies outbreak period.

“Once the lab is completed, which is expected middle of next month, we don’t have to send the specimens to KL anymore,” he told the press at Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty on Animals ( SSPCA) shelter in Kota Sentosa here yesterday.

SSPCA president Datin Dona Drury Wee, who was also present, said the total cost including air fare, maintenance of the specimens and testing, was about RM1,000 per dog.

“We have already spent more than RM500,000 to test the more than 500 samples already sent there,” Dr Nicholas injected.

Dona went on to say that testing could be conducted on random samples to make sure no disease is present, and more importantly, to give a better picture of any form of epidemic disease including Sarawak.

She said Sarawak was now in the midst of controlling the disease, and the people should be more understanding over the measures that had to be taken with guidance from international organisations like World Health Organisation ( WHO).

On the progress towards declaring Sarawak totally free from rabies, she said: “We are rabies in looking at another seven years. Maybe in 2025.

“This is one thing that we want to stress to the public. We want to achieve the outcome soon like in 2020, but it requires a lot of efforts and a concerted one involving the whole community,” Dr Nicholas chipped in.

He also said the lab would be gazetted as a protected area to prevent threats from certain quarters.