KUCHING: The Immune Belt Enforcement Team (IBET) may be deployed to assist the Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVSS) in vaccinating dogs in the suburban and urban areas in Sarawak.
Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development, Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said these measures may be considered as an effort to curb rabies.
“We are still struggling with this where the figure is still very low in terms of vaccination of (dogs) in the suburban and urban areas.
Dr Rundi (second from right) visiting the exhibition booth of the Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“Therefore, we have to relook at our protocol and we want to redeploy some of our team from IBET so that they can help in vaccinating the dogs in the suburban and urban areas.
“In this effort, we may also need the local councils to come and assist us.”
He told the media this after officiating at the Rabies in Borneo (RIB) 2023 conference here on Tuesday (Oct 31).
Dr Rundi also expressed hope that by getting IBET to assist in the anti-rabies vaccination exercise, it would allow Sarawak to achieve at least 70 per cent herd immunity against rabies within the dog population.
Meanwhile, DVSS director Datuk Dr Adrian Susin Ambud said it is still a big challenge to achieve the 70 per cent herd immunity goal.
“From our mass vaccination programme that we have, only about 50 per cent of dogs completed the second booster of anti-rabies vaccine, while more than 60 per cent have received the first dose of the anti-rabies vaccine.
“Looking at this figure, we know that we have to work harder in order to achieve the 70 per cent herd immunity as there still not many dogs vaccinated outside the immune belt,” he stressed.
Dr Susin emphasised the importance of reaching the 70 per cent herd immunity goal to break the infectious cycle of rabies between animals and humans. “With this, hopefully it will reduce human rabies deaths as well.”
More than 300 people attended the Rabies in Borneo 2023 conference at Imperial Hotel, Kuching.
He added that out of 585 samples, 118 animals, including 108 dogs, eight cats and two other animals, tested positive for rabies this year.
“Thus, active and passive surveillance is continuously carried out with the One Health approach to rabies control in Sarawak.”
Dr Susin said that dog vaccination, licencing, microchipping, population control and surveillance are continuously being done by the DVSS, Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit, and Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, with One Health approach for rabies control in the state.
