Govt recruits 394 volunteers to fight rabies

KUCHING: There is no let-up in Sarawak’s all-out war against rabies and other infectious disease.

In yet another significant move, the government has recruited another 394 veterans to assist in the Immune Belt Enforcement Team (IBET) in its fight.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said these veterans are stationed along the Indonesia–Malaysia border, covering the stretch from Lundu to Ba’kelalan.

“There are currently 32,000 veterans in Sarawak, and we have recruited 394 of them on a voluntary basis to reinforce the IBET under the Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit.

“Their primary mission is to monitor rabies along the border from Lundu to Ba’kelalan.

“Apart from that, they are also providing assistance during disasters in the remote areas along the border,” he said  when met by reporters after attending the Grave Cementing Ceremony of the late Major Michael Riman Bugat at Kuching Heroes’ Cemetery here today.

Uggah added that the veterans are currently operating without fixed positions, working collaboratively with the local communities, adding that the initiative has proven to be effective in controlling the spread of rabies, particularly in rural areas where the disease is more prevalent.

According to him, the group has achieved an impressive 92 per cent rabies vaccination rate.

“The focus of the IBET is on longhouses near the border where instances of diseases are more prevalent.

“We discovered that rabies was largely brought in from the neighbouring region, and our dogs also contribute to the problem by crossing the borders. This initiative is a strategic approach to contain the spread,” he said.