BY MA CHEE SENG, LEE SHAW WEI & NATASHA JEE
TO improve biosecurity measures in Sarawak, the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development is considering establishing a Sarawak Quarantine and Inspection Services (SAQIS) agency.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, stated that the proposed SAQIS will be an agency similar to Peninsular Malaysia’s Malaysia Quarantine and Inspection Services (MAQIS).
“SAQIS establishment is crucial to safeguard the biosecurity in maintaining Sarawak’s disease-free status,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the august House yesterday.
Meanwhile, Dr Rundi provided an update on the rabies situation in Sarawak, stating that bite cases have decreased from over 400 cases per month in 2018 to only 250 cases per month in 2022.
He also stated that the percentages of rabies-positive dog cases recorded over a four-year period improved from a high of 42 per cent in 2018 to 14 per cent in 2022.
He added that the aforementioned statistic shows that Sarawak’s rabies situation is under control.
