Rabies Vaccination Programme in Batu Kawa and Jalan Tabuan Dayak

3-3-2018 (Saturday) 9.00 - 2.00 pm

SJK Kim Choo Seng, Batu Kawa @Basketball Court

Jalan Tabuan Dayak Shophouses (Near Gardenia Court Apartments)

The Public Reminded to Take Rabies More Seriously

The Star (6/2/2018) reported about the 7th victim of rabies in Sarawak, Mr Bong Fah Sin, who has just passed away.

The family of Bong Fah Sin, the sixth person to die from rabies in Sarawak since July, has urged the public, as well as private clinics, to be more serious about the disease.

This is because Bong, 59, was not referred to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) immediately for anti-rabies vaccination after he was bitten by a dog in November.

“He sought treatment at a private clinic on Nov 27,” daughter Kim Bong said, “and had seemed all right afterwards.”

“He was bitten on both ankles when he went to a friend’s house along Jalan Batu Kawa-Matang,” she said.
 

When his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to a private hospital on Jan 24 and referred to SGH the following day after showing symptoms of hydrophobia, hallucination and aggression.
On Jan 26, a lab test confirmed that he had rabies encephalitis.
He passed away at 4.44pm on Sunday.

“I feel that people need to be more aware of the danger of rabies,” Kim said at the family home here yesterday.

“Now that there is an outbreak, people need to realise that a dog bite can lead to rabies.

“The clinic that treated my father should have informed him about rabies and referred him to SGH for vaccination. This is such an important matter.

“People’s lives are at stake.”

 

Kim, the second of four children, said the family was shocked by the rabies diagnosis.

“My mother still cannot accept his death. My father had made plans to hold an open house on the first day of Chinese New Year but now that this has happened, we will not be celebrating.

“He was a very friendly person and his friends also cannot accept that he has gone so suddenly,” she added.

On Jan 28, it was reported that private clinics and hospitals should refer animal bite cases to government health facilities immediately for further treatment and anti-rabies vaccination.

The State Disaster Management Committee also said health authorities would issue a warning letter to the clinic, where Bong sought treatment, for failing to follow guidelines.

SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, who conveyed his condolences to Bong’s widow Lee Joon Kiew and her family yesterday, said it was “very sad” that there was another death because of rabies.

“The state government will continue its efforts to prevent further loss of life. This requires a lot of cooperation and help from everyone.

If you are bitten by a dog, go to a government hospital for anti-rabies vaccination,” he said.
 

 

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/02/06/take-rabies-more-seriously-says-family-of-latest-victim/#L7ikThWTd8wzgJoW.99

Sarawak Veterinary Association Animal welfare roadshow 2018

According to The Borneo Post (6/2/2018), the Sarawak Veterinary Association (SVA) will run a series of awareness programmes this year, which will include a roadshow and a fun run.
The roadshow on ‘Animal Welfare and Responsible Pet Ownership’ will kick start at Plaza Merdeka here this April 27, and it will run till April 29.
The roadshow will show visitors proper pet health management, as well as hold free veterinary consultations, awareness talks, photo competitions, games, 3D photo booths and a children’s colouring contest.
On April 28, SVA will host a ‘Miao Run’ – a fun run that celebrates World Veterinary Day. The flag-off for the run, which will consist of 3km and 6km routes, is scheduled at 6.30am on Padang Merdeka.
“We are expecting around 4,000 runners in this series of events,” said organising chairman Dr Kelvin Chai, who is also a SVA executive committee member, during a press conference on the programme series yesterday.
On July 28, another run will be held – the ‘Siyok Run’ has 4 km and 7 km routes. This will be followed by the ‘Woof Run’ (5km and 8km)’ this Sept 29.
According to Dr Chai, the most interesting part of these running series is the medal.
“Medals from all three runs can be combined into one big medal – just like a jigsaw puzzle.”
Registration fee is RM55 per person for each run. Each participant will receive a T-shirt and medal. Those who register for all three runs before March 31 will receive a rebate of RM15 on participation fees.
The proceeds from the fees will be channelled to Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA).
For more information, contact Yahya of Green Heights Mall Brooks Outlet via 013-8210401, or visit the SVA Facebook page with the I.D. handle ‘sarawakveterinaryassociation’.

Caution to eateries feeding, harbouring strays in Sarawak

As reported in The Borneo Post (6/2/2018), eatery operators may risk having their business licence suspended or even revoked if they are found to be feeding and harbouring stray animals at their business premises. This was according to Sarawak Veterinary Association (SVA) president Dr Chuo Hock Tieng. Dr. Chuo also said that owners may face the same penalty if their customers are the ones feeding the strays, as stated under Section 145 of the Local Authority Ordinance 1996.

“Once you feed a stray at an eatery, the stray will most likely remain in that area as it knows where to get its food,” said Chuo in a press conference on rabies awareness here yesterday.

He also stressed that the local councils should take a more proactive role in catching the remaining strays at commercial and residential zones as quickly as possible to curb the spread of the rabies virus, which claimed its latest human victim here on Sunday.

“Please do it (catching of strays) properly. Do not do it halfway as it will defeat the purpose,” he added.

Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) president Datin Dona Drury-Wee, who was also present at the press conference, had added that those who like to feed stray animals should do so away from eateries so that the animals would not associate the eateries with food, thus becoming habitually lingering at the eateries for food.

She said it is also more hygienic for the feeding of strays to be done at a distance from eateries, while also advising against the use of plastic or polystyrene food packs when feeding strays to avoid leaving behind an unnecessary mess. The use of a clean bowl would be ideal.

In view of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, Wee reminded pet owners to provide a quiet and enclosed place and start training the pet to familiarize that such place could be for hiding in time of stress such as the fireworks during the festive seasons.

“Some animals get very distressed during this period and tend to run off in fear. Keep your pet dogs or cats inside during fireworks; the best would be with some human companionship. You could place your pet in a closet or keep it in a cage with a box it can hide in,” she added.

She also said it was important for pets to have proper identification tags, preferably with the owner’s contact number on it, in case it runs out and gets lost.

Wee also stressed that owners should not bring their pets back to their hometown with them during the festive season to prevent the movement of animals and the spread of the virus.

On another note, both SVA and SSCPA lauded the move by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah in signing the Anti-Rabies Vaccination Order on Feb 2. Under the order, it has become compulsory for all pet owners throughout Sarawak to vaccinate their dogs – regardless whether they live in an outbreak or non-outbreak area.

To further curb the spread of the virus, two anti-rabies mass vaccination exercises will be held at the Stampin Resettlement Scheme community hall and at the SUPP Tupong multi-purpose hall on Feb 10. A similar exercise will also be held in Miri on Feb 11.

Those who do not have the time or means to send their pets to the mass vaccination programme are advised to visit www.sarawakvet.blogspot.com to get a full list of veterinary clinics in their respective division.

Starting yesterday, dogs that receive anti-rabies jab will also be given an anti-rabies vaccination record card as proof of vaccination.

For further information, kindly refer to the The Borneo Post article published on 6/2/2018.

List of Veterinary Clinics in Sarawak