KUCHING: The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has announced plans for an Integrated Rabies Operation in this city, targeting areas with the highest recorded rabies cases involving humans.
SDMC said the areas involved include Tabuan Jaya, Taman Landeh, Desa Wira and Sungai Maong Tengah.
“In an effort to curb the spread of the rabies outbreak, the Sarawak Government will conduct the 2024 Integrated Rabies Operation in the Kuching District on Apr 29 to 30 and May 2 to 3.
“The objective of the operation is to raise awareness among the public about rabies and the necessity to licence pet animals.
“Hence, the community and dog owners are urged to cooperate during the operation – to ensure vaccination, licensing and not to allow pets to roam freely on the streets or wander outside their homes,” it said in a statement.
SDMC also said cooperation from all parties is crucial to ensure the successful implementation of the operation in controlling the spread of the rabies outbreak, enabling Sarawak to achieve zero-rabies status by the year 2030.
“The agencies involved in the operation are the Sarawak State Health Department, Veterinary Department of Sarawak, Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Armed Forces, Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit, Kuching South City Council, Kuching North City Hall, Padawan Municipal Council, and relevant bodies or non-governmental organisations,” it added.
On a related note, the committee said as of Apr 19, a total of five divisions in Sarawak have been declared as rabies zones, namely Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Bintulu, and Sri Aman.
It also said since 2017, a total of 213,190 dogs have been vaccinated, and 78 cases of rabies involving humans have been reported, with 71 cases resulting in death.
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