SIBU: Dog owners here have been told to be a more responsible for their animals after 10 more places have been declared as rabies-infected areas.
The Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVSS) last June 13 announced that these 10 places are Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Lorong Permai Timur, Kampung Bahagia Jaya Teku, Sibujaya, Mile 1/2 Jalan Oya, Jalan Hua Khiew, Ulu Sungai Merah, Taman Sanhill Barat, Jalan Oya Lama and Jalan Sentosa.
Since this declaration was made, rabies has become an issue among the public here.
The local authorities have long been taking action to prevent the outbreak of rabies but the cooperation of the public especially dog owners was also very much needed.
Head of DVSS, Sibu, Ainul Riza Abu Seman, has appealed to the public to vaccinate their dogs against rabies.
“As head of the veterinary department here, I call on dog owners to bring their pets for vaccination. This is important to break the spread of rabies here,” she said.
The free vaccination, she said, could be done at her department at Jalan Perpaduan.
“Our purpose of doing this is to ensure that the community will be safe from rabies. So I hope that dog owners would assist us by vaccinating their pets,” she said.
Ainul said people who wanted to control the number of their pets by spaying them could also do it at the department.
“We also have to control the number of stray dogs and cats in town as this is also one of the ways to prevent the outbreak of rabies here,” she said.
She noted that it was not easy to know whether a stray dog was free from rabies. Thus the only method was to bring down its population.
