DCM: Govt’s efforts reflect determination in fighting rabies
KUCHING: The Sarawak government is very serious in its efforts to fight the spread of rabies, assures Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
He said their efforts so far are reflected by the targeted removal of over 10,000 dogs from the streets.
“To say that the state government is not serious in combating rabies in Sarawak is a serious accusation.
“We release this figure today not to cause disrespect to any group of people or the animal, but we just want to show that we are very serious in trying to prevent the spread of rabies in Sarawak,” he said yesterday.
Uggah, who is also State Disaster Management Committee chairman, said this when asked on efforts to eradicate the disease in the state.
He said Kuching had the highest number of dogs removed from streets at 4,671, followed by Sibu ( 3,105), Miri (1,099), Samarahan ( 597), Sri Aman ( 382), Betong ( 285), Sarikei ( 267) and Serian (103).
He assured all that control of the stray dog population would be intensified, and reminded all pet owners to keep their pets within their compounds.
On the pressure the committee is facing from animal rights groups, Uggah said he had recently met and discussed the issue with Save Our Strays ( SOS) and Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA).
He said during the meeting, all parties agreed to certain arrangements and to find measures to stop the spread of rabies, including the targeted removal of dogs from the streets especially in Kuching and Miri.
“We have done so and we will continue to do targeted removals of dogs from the streets. When there is a choice between human life and dog life, human life is always our priority,” he stressed.
Uggah said some RM26 million, including RM6 million from the federal government, had been utilised in the fight against rabies in Sarawak.
He said the committee had also issued the anti-rabies vaccination order and directed the Department of Veterinary Services to intensify vaccination programmes to cover rural areas in the state.
“If necessary, we will outsource vaccinators in order to achieve the 70 per cent or above vaccination coverage, in order to provide herd immunity as well as to prevent enzootic transmission of rabies to human,” he said, adding that some 85,000 out of the roughly 300,000 dogs across Sarawak had already been vaccinated against rabies.
To say that the state government is not serious in combating rabies in Sarawak is a serious accusation. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, Deputy Chief Minister