Rabies: 366 pet dogs, cats in Kuala Sepetang vaccinated

A total of 366 pets dogs and cats have been vaccinated by the Perak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) in Kuala Sepetang, Taiping, as at yesterday.

Director-General of Veterinary Services Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizam said the vaccination of the 127 dogs and 239 cats was implemented as a prevention measure to curb rabies or mad dog disease in the state.

The department had also culled 78 stray dogs and taken samples from the canines for analysis at the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) in Ipoh, he said.

"Census and surveillance operations have also been conducted within 10 km radius from the location of rabies infection case with animal population of 1611, comprising 431 dogs and 1,180 cats, involving 554 pet owners.

"The Perak DVS has also conducted an awareness campaign and house-to-house visits, involving 2,492 pet owners in the area, to curb the spread of the mad dog disease," he said in a statement here today.

On July 16, the Perak DVS confirmed the death of a rabid dog, nine days after it had bitten two girls, aged 11 and 12, in Kuala Sepetang.

The department had also culled 19 stray dogs in the area on Monday as an effort to curb the spread of the disease, while the state government declared Matang area in Larut, Matang and Selama as rabies-infected areas.

-- BERNAMA