KUCHING: The elimination of dog-mediated human rabies death by 2030 in Southeast Asia is possible through a comprehensive strategy grounded in the pillars of vaccination, education and surveillance.
The strategy, spearheaded by research company Boehringer Ingelheim, was outlined in its whitepaper titled “Moving towards a rabies-free Southeast Asia”, unveiled at the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association (FAVA) Congress 2023.
The whitepaper highlights country-specific challenges and expert solutions to operationalise the holistic approach in preventing and eliminating rabies in Southeast Asia with a specific focus on Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
Speaking at the FAVA Congress 2023 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on yesterday (Nov 4), Dr Farina Mustaffa Kamal, Head of the Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, underscored the need for a concerted effort from all stakeholders to realise this goal.
She emphasised the importance of awareness campaigns, mass animal vaccination, and surveillance activities in an effective rabies elimination strategy.
“Engaging the community leaders in conducting dog censuses is also important because they are more familiar with dogs in their areas, including the free-roaming dogs.
“In Bau, for instance, community leaders have been actively engaged in this effort, which is a good start. Perhaps this can be expanded to other areas,” she said.
Moreover, she also highlighted the importance of cross border collaboration with neighbouring countries, citing reported cases of rabies originating from Kalimantan in Indonesia, with rabid dogs travelling north across the border to the state.
“When Sarawak first encountered its rabies case in 2017, Sabah immediately stepped up on its surveillance programme and border control to prevent rabies contamination.
“For Sabah, the enforcement effort has proven effective, and it should be practiced in other areas where rabies is rampant,” she said.
Addressing the challenges of combating rabies, including funding competition, data sharing failures, and policy and legislative gaps, she advocated for strong government engagement and support for activities related to overcoming the rabies endemic to ensure such activities are sustainable in the long run.
Furthermore, she remarked that cooperation should also be established with other industry partners and institutions to set up a vaccine bank.
To this end, she proposed a pilot project by the Sarawak government to study the efficacy of oral rabies vaccination for animals before scaling it up.
Among those present were panellist Dr Jerlyn Sponseller and Dr Tan Do Yew from Boehringer Ingelheim; Global Alliance for Rabies Control programmes director Dr Terence Scott; Head of Animal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia Dr Kam Kok Yen; and Eco-Business associate editor of Eco-Business Robin Hicks.
