Rabies: Chong suggests govt set aside land for strays caught by councils

KUCHING (Jan 15): The Sarawak government through its local councils should implement a policy that would ensure that the city is free of stray dogs, said Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen.

He suggested that the government set aside a plot of land to keep stray dogs caught by councils such as Kuching South City Council (MBKS).

“Rabies test will be carried out on these dogs and the infected ones will have to be culled while the non-infected ones will be neutered.

“Anyone claiming to be the owner of the dogs caught by MBKS can always claim their pet back, but this is subjected to reimbursing the council for the expenses incurred as well as payment of a fine imposed for letting out the dogs,” he said in a statement.

Chong, who is DAP Sarawak chairman, believed that the state government has the funds and would also be able to allocate a piece of land to carry out this policy.

He said the recent dog-bite incident at Tabuan Desa Indah here had exposed the lackadaisical attitude and ineffectiveness of the relevant authorities in handling the rabies situation in Kuching.

“When rabies first broke, serious actions were taken by the state government to control the spread of the disease. Stray dogs were caught and for a while, there were no strays roaming around the streets of Kuching.

“After a while, like most government policies, the Malay proverb of ‘hangat-hangat tahi ayam’ (to not do something wholeheartedly and consistently) culture began to set in and the stray dogs are once again seen roaming the streets of Kuching,” he said.

Chong, who is also Padungan assemblyman, called out Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng for shifting the blame regarding the spread of rabies on the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).

“It is clearly an irresponsible statement when the danger of rabies to Kuching residents comes from the stray dogs on the street, and MBKS is the authority entrusted by the government to catch these strays.

“The main concern of Kuching residents is that the stray dogs would bite and cause harm on them. MBKS has been tasked to catch these stray dogs.

“Therefore, I call upon on MBKS and the mayor to just do the job properly and stop giving excuses,” he stressed.

Chong said MBKS had failed in their duties and as such resulted in residents under the council’s jurisdiction being bitten by the stray dogs.

“MBKS should be held responsible and pay compensation to the victims who were bitten by rabid dogs. The council should pay compensation to the victims of the recent dog-bite incidents of which the compensation can be determined in accordance with the established principles of law.

“It is only when the council is made responsible and pay for the nonfeasance of their duty, then would the council treat its job seriously,” he said.

He added that it is also the duty of the state government and Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government in particular, to ensure that the councils carry out their jobs properly.

On Jan 6, a pedigree dog bit and injured three adults, a child and another dog in Tabuan Desa Indah.

The dog, which was successfully captured the next day, was found to be positive for rabies.

The Ministry of Health in a statement Sunday said all dog bite victims in Sarawak were reported to be stable and have been administered rabies vaccination and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) treatment.

It said the cases involved 11 individuals who were treated as outpatients and one case where the patient was admitted to the hospital for wound debridement and was discharged last Thursday.

“All 11 cases were bitten by the same stray dog, which was captured by the local authority (PBT) on Jan 8. The laboratory test conducted by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) on Jan 11 confirmed a positive rabies status.

“As for the 12th case, reported to be bitten by a pet dog at Lorong Tabuan Timur here, the victim received treatment at the Sarawak General Hospital on Jan 7. The dog was voluntarily surrendered to the PBT, and subsequent DVS laboratory test confirmed it to be rabies positive,” the statement read.