Updates On 28th Sep 2017

IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US TO MAKE SARAWAK RABIES-FREE AGAIN

In conjunction with World Rabies Day on 28 September, the Sarawak SPCA (SSPCA) and Save Our Strays – Kuching (SOS) are calling on all the people of Sarawak to join in, and support, the efforts underway to address the rabies outbreak, so we can make Sarawak rabies-free again. World Rabies Day is the first and only global day of action and awareness for rabies prevention. It is an opportunity to unite as a community and for individuals, NGOs and governments to connect and share their work.

From the outset of the rabies outbreak in Sarawak, the SSPCA has been working closely with the state government, through the Rabies Secretariat, to educate people in the affected areas on bite management and to inform the general public about the procedures to take if they are bitten by a dog. We are also working on awareness education focused on the source of rabies and the rabies virus transmission route to reduce public concern.

SOS has been working hard in assisting the vets to vaccinate the strays against rabies.

We commend all the government and non-governmental agencies involved in the effort to combat and eliminate rabies to date, and especially the staff of the Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak,the private vets in Kuching, and vets from Sabah and West Malaysia, who have worked tirelessly to conduct the mass vaccinations of pets and stray dogs in the rabies-affected areas.

The good news is that the eradication of dog-transmitted human rabies is possible. Over 95% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites. By vaccinating 70% of dog populations in areas where rabies is present, the number of human cases can rapidly drop to almost zero. The mass vaccination of dogs has been accepted by the international community as the most cost-effective means of eliminating rabies. �Mass vaccination of dogs is the method of choice for eliminating dog-transmitted human rabies. It is the only real way to break the disease�s infectious cycle between animals and humans� underlines Dr. Bernard Vallat, the Director General of the OIE- World Organisation for Animal Health,�The global eradication of rabies is possible by vaccinating large populations of dogs in affected areas�.

The SSPCA & SOS are committed to work with our government partners to conduct a survey of the dog populations in the affected areas in Sarawak to achieve the 70% target of dogs and cats rabies-vaccinated. The SSPCA will continue to provide awareness education focused on the source of rabies and rabies virus transmission route to reduce public concern.

Unfortunately, we have seen and continue to see the indiscriminate culling of dogs by some local councils; often using catching methods that are cruel as defined in the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance, 1999. The SSPCA and SOS condemn these cruel practices and calls on the relevant authorities to put a stop to these actions immediately. The SSPCA and SOS are monitoring these cases and where needed, have made police reports.

We are calling on the people of Sarawak to assist with and support the efforts currently underway and the actions planned for the future to eradicate rabies in Sarawak. Together, We Can End Rabies For Good.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SarawakSPCA/photos/a.10151839329759..

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SPCA Sarawak

The Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes that animals, as living creatures, have value beyond economic measurement, and are entitled to legal, moral and ethical consideration and protection. The Sarawak SPCA's mission is to act as an advocate on behalf of animals and as an enforcer of their rights; to provide for the well-being of the animals of the State of Sarawak who are abandoned, injured, subjected to unfair or cruel treatment, or otherwise in need; to cultivate in the people of our community an awareness of the animals whose world we share; to promote a bond of mutual assistance between people and animals; and to instill respect for and appreciation of all living things.

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