Samples from 10 areas around Kuching, Bau negative for rabies: SVSD

KUCHING: The Sarawak Veterinary Services Department (SVSD) has declared that sampling tested from ten areas in Kuching and Bau Divisions returned negative results for rabies.
In a statement, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Secretariat (JBPN) said the report was presented to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also Sarawak JBPN chairman during a meeting held at the State Operations Room at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Petra Jaya near here, today.
"The sampling results taken from several areas in the Kuching and Bau divisions, namely, Bandar Baru Semariang, Kampung Atas Singai, Kampung Mundai (Padawan), Kampung Rantau Panjang (Batu Kawa), Uni Garden (Kuching Outer Ring Road), Kampung Peninjau Baru, Semariang Aman, Family Park, Xafa Villa (Jalan Fock Fun) and Kampung Segedup (Batu Kawa) returned negative for Rabies," the statement said.
The secretariat said following the Sarawak government's declaration of several divisions in the state as rabies infected areas, and under the powers accorded under the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance 1999, SVSD had approved the purchase of the Rabies vaccine recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) from outside of Sarawak by valid private veterinary practitioners.
Meanwhile, the secretariat said a total of 129 dogs were vaccinated today in the programme to control the spread of a rabies outbreak in Kampung Semeba, Kuching and Kampung Rayang, Serian.
"Vaccination was carried out on 129 dogs, bringing the total number of animals vaccinated to date at 22,584, comprising 14,944 dogs, cats (7,595) and other animals (45)," the statement said.
According to the secretariat, SVSD had conducted a total of 131 awareness campaigns on the rabies outbreak in villages and participating schools and attended by 26,647 participants.
The awareness campaign will be continued tomorrow (July 31) at the Win Win Café, Pending, near here.
Meanwhile, the secretariat said the Sarawak State Health Department informed that a total of 61 new bite cases were reported today.
The cases reported were from the Serian Division (19), Sri Aman Division (21), and Kuching Division (21).
This brought the cumulative number of dog bite cases from April 1 till today, to 1,221 cases, added the statement. — Bernama