KUCHING: Kuching and Bintulu were today declared rabies infection areas.
Sarawak Food Industry, Commodities and Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said this was after 12 of the 16 dogs tested by the authorities were found to have rabies.
He said eight of the dogs were from Kuching, two in Bintulu and one each in Padawan and Bau.
"All the dogs were strays and had not been vaccinated (against rabies)," he said in a statement.
Rundi said he had signed an order today under Section 40(1) of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance 1999 (VPHO) requiring that all dogs in the state be vaccinated against rabies.
"Dog owners must be responsible in ensuring that their beloved pets are vaccinated against rabies. Any owner who fails to adhere to the order will be deemed to have committed an offence and fined up to RM2,500.
"Any dog which has been exposed to rabies and (the owner) does not have proof of vaccination will be put down," he said.
Rundi said the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department (DVS) and the Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit had intensified their statewide anti-rabies vaccination programme.
He said dog owners can get their pets vaccinated at any government veterinary clinic during office hours.
Rundi added that mass vaccination programmes would also be carried out from time to time, adding that the public can get the details of these programmes from the Sarawak DVS Facebook page.
"This year, we target vaccinating 50,000 stray dogs in the state," he said.
Rundi also reminded dog owners not to let their pets out of their compounds as they could face a fine of p to RM5,000 under Section 37(3) of the VPHO.
He said, according to the state Health Department, there have been 18 rabies infections in humans in Sarawak, with 16 of them resulting in death.
Since July 2017, there have been 73 such cases, of which 66 resulted in deaths, he added.
As such, said Rundi, the public are advised to be careful and to immediately seek medical attention should they be bitten by animals.
