BINTULU: The Belaga Health Office carried out an integrated rabies control and prevention operation on Tuesday.
The operation was joined by the Belaga and Asap District Offices, Kapit District Council, Kapit Veterinary Department Office, Immune Line Enforcement Team, police, and other relevant agencies.
The Bintulu Divisional Health Office, in a statement, said the operation covered 16 locations in the Sungai Asap area, including villages.
The health team’s duties included assessing areas at high risk of human rabies based on monitoring animal bites, conducting Active Case Detection (ACD) and referring cases to clinics for vaccination, as well as providing health education on rabies prevention.
“Residents are reminded to take care of their pets by vaccinating them and avoiding them from interacting with wild animals.
“Get immediate medical treatment at the nearest clinic if bitten or scratched by an animal,” it said.
For the record, the seventh rabies-related death reported in Sarawak this year involved a 26-year-old woman from Belaga who died on Nov 9 while receiving treatment at the Sibu Hospital.
Sarawak Health Department Director, Dr Veronica Lugah, in a statement, said investigations found that the woman had no history of animal bites.
However, she had three cats that roamed freely and were likely exposed to wild animals.
Two of the cats had been vaccinated against rabies, while the other was not vaccinated.
Dr Veronica reminded the public that rabies can be transmitted through bites or scratches, as well as exposure to the saliva of rabid mammals, especially dogs and cats.
She also advised the public to ensure that all their pet dogs and cats receive a complete anti-rabies vaccination every year and not to let their animals roam unsupervised.
“Avoid the risk of being bitten, scratched, or exposed to the saliva of stray dogs or cats of unknown rabies vaccination status or rabies infection by not approaching these animals,” she advised.
