KUCHING: The worrying rabies situation in Sarawak has prompted the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sarawak advise the public to work together with the authorities to curb the disease.
Its chairman Dr Liew Shan Fap said Sarawak has recorded 66 cases of human rabies and 59 deaths since its first outbreak in July 2017.
Concered with the high death rate, he said the main route of transmission is animal bites, particularly dog bites.
“The more worrying fact is the number of rabies cases has markedly increased this year despite various measures being taken by the authorities. From Jan 1 till May 15 this year, Sarawak has recorded 11 rabies cases and nine deaths.
“We must stress that death from rabies is 100 percent preventable,” he said during the Rabies Aware Public Forum at Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Auditorium here today.
He said the single most important aspect is that there is still room for improvement through public awareness.
“This is because many are still not aware of how deadly rabies is and many are not familiar with treatment for the desease.
“On top of that, some pet owners do not follow the local council recommendations or regulations,” he said.
