KUCHING: Sarawak will be looking into the feasibility of using baits to administer anti-rabies vaccine to stray dogs.
For the moment, though, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the idea, which was first proposed by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS), has been put on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) epidemic.
“DVS director-general Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizar told us that they want to lace the baits with vaccine instead of jabbing the dogs. We are waiting for them to supply us (the vaccine-laced baits) and we will see the progress,” he said.
He said this to reporters at Wisma SugarBun here yesterday after officiating at the signing of an agreement for the exclusive supply of tilapia fish to Sugarbun by Borneo Eco Fish Sdn Bhd (BEF).
When asked if the new strategy would be effective, Uggah said it was a trial.
“If successful, we will produce more (vaccine baits),” he said.
Uggah, who is also the chairman of the State Disaster Management Committee, further said they would meet very soon to chart its direction for 2020 in tackling rabies.
“As of now, it seems that there are some signs of success as the number of positive cases have declined. However, the people of Sarawak must always be reminded that rabies is still around.
“If you see any unfriendly or unhealthy stray dogs, please call DVS or the local council. We will ensure that the dogs will not be a threat to the people,” he said.
Uggah also mentioned that for this year, the committee will focus on the cities like Kuching first.
“We will design a strategic move to contain the rabies outbreak as we have an objective of having no human fatalities by 2021 and no more rabid dog by 2025,” he told.
He noted that apart from raising awareness, the progress of combating rabies is going well with two fronts — targeted removal of stray dogs and vaccination of as many dogs as possible.
On Feb 14, Uggah hosted a courtesy call from Quaza who informed the former on the new strategy to vaccinate dogs.
A typical bait consists of a food sachet (or plastic packet) containing rabies vaccine.
To make the baits attractive, the sachets containing the vaccine are sprinkled with fishmeal coating or encased inside hard fishmeal-polymer blocks.
