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SIBU: The rabies situation in the city is alarming, since almost half of the samples taken were positive for the disease.
Sarawak’s Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Dr. Annuar Rapaee, said that of the 104 random samples taken so far, 50 of them tested positive for rabies.
He said the number of dog and stray dog bite incidents caught by local authorities had also increased during the first 10 months of this year.
“The number of dog bite cases recorded by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is 1,213, while SMC has caught 1,271 stray dogs,” he told reporters after launching a “plogging” (a recreational activity that combines jogging with picking up trash) program in Kampung Nangka here today.
He said the other two local authorities in the district, the Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) and the Kanowit District Council (KDC), each recorded 47 and 90 cases of dog bites, respectively.
Annuar, who is the Nangka Assemblyman, said that three rabies deaths had been recorded in Sibu so far.
He said it is necessary to intensify awareness programs to keep the public updated on the current rabies situation.
