Dr Simon supports amendment to Veterinary Public Health Ordinance
THE amendment to the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance would further strengthen the role of the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department (JPVS) in curbing the spread of infectious animal diseases through the state’s borders, said Dr Simon Sinang Bada (GPS-Tebedu).
He said this will allow the Immune Belt Enforcement Team (IBET) established under the Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit (UKPS) to help JPVS to carry out infectious animal disease control activities along the border between Sarawak and Kalimantan which is known as the immune belt or buffer zone.
“The initiative to establish IBET is a concrete step towards dealing with the spread of rabies and helping JPVS to control the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the countryside in a systematic and effective manner.
“At the same time, this team can help Sarawak maintain its Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)free status which allows Sarawak to export animals and animal products worth more than RM300 million a year,” he said when debating the Veterinary Public Health (Amendment) Bill 2022 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday.
The Bill was tabled by Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom and passed by the DUN.
Dr Sinang also said 32 IBET teams will be required to be deployed along the 1,032km Sarawak-Kalimantan border.
He said that in Peninsular Malaysia, there is also an immune belt (30-50km) on the Thai-Malaysian border (involving the states of Kedah and Kelantan) which is managed by JPV Malaysia but it is not as comprehensive as IBET in Sarawak.
“In addition to border control, continuous cooperation with the Sarawak State Health Department (JKNS) is very important in integrated bite case management of animal bite cases reported to JPVS.
“In relation to that, the presence of IBET to help JPVS can ensure that action is taken immediately on every bite case and prevent this disease (rabies) from claiming more lives in Sarawak,” he said.
Dr Sinang, himself a veterinarian by profession, said the rabies outbreak in Sarawak was so serious that in 2017 the authorities declared the outbreak as Level Two Disaster as stated in the National Security Council Directive No 20 (MKN 20) which obliges all government agencies to use resources in an integrated manner to contain the spread.
“From 2017 until now, a total of 46 lives have been lost from 52 rabies victims. While in 2022 alone, eight lives have been lost from 12 cases.
“Rabies can be controlled if 70 per cent of the dog population in Sarawak is injected with the rabies vaccine and victims who are bitten need to receive immediate treatment in hospital.”
Meanwhile, he also agreed with the idea of establishing a new agency called Sarawak Quarantine & Inspection Services (SAQIS) under the Ministry of Food Industries, Commodities and Regional Development.
He said this new agency will assist the Veterinary Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fisheries at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complexes and airports in the state.
“This Saqis is similar to the Maqis in the Peninsula under Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (Mafi). Its establishment will solve the problem of critical Veterinary and Agricultural staff constraints and will be able to focus on tasks and be able to help each other IBET.
“I would also like to suggest that the Sarawak government increase the number of Veterinary staff of various grades from 290 to at least 1,000 people to be able to compete with DVS Sabah which has more than 750 staff for disease control, regulatory duties and the development of the livestock industry,” he said.