KUCHING: Local councils here will continue to work closely with the Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak to provide the vaccination supply in order to prevent rabies in dogs.
In stating this, Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government of Sarawak Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian also urged the public to continue vaccinate their dogs yearly.
“Because the vaccination is provided by the Veterinary Department, plus we want the public to vaccinate their dogs for their own good.
“We do not want more people to end up as the victims of this disease,” he told reporters after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Bau District Council members at its building yesterday.
Dr Sim also wanted the public to also register their dogs for a dog’s license.
“This is in order for us to know who is responsible towards the dogs, if they ever linger outside of the community area,” he added.
Earlier, mayor of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Datuk Wee Hong Seng, emphasised the need to find solutions for the public to stop feeding stray dogs which could carry diseases such as rabies that are harmful to humans.
He said that the problem is a “headache” for the council and acknowledged it as a serious public health concern, especially when the council is now focusing on eradicating rabies.
“A dog infected by rabies can act aggressively, so we need to take tons of precautionary measure, including monitoring and catching stray dogs, in order to prevent and reduce rabies in Kuching city,” he said.
