Dr Annuar (seated centre), flanked by Tiong (on his right) and Wong, and others in a photo call after the press conference.
SIBU: The authorities have declared Teng Chin Hua Road here as rabies-infected after samples from three stray dogs caught on Aug 29 tested positive for the disease.
Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee, who heads the Sibu Rabies Control Team, said the positive results were from four samples sent to Kuching for testing.
He said with the positive samples, the authorities will now conduct active case detection (ACD) operations within a 10-kilometre radius of the infected area.
“Our team will go from house-to-house.
“We will be very active in removing stray dogs from this area as well as try to vaccinate all the dogs there.
“We can only achieve this if we get full cooperation from members of the public, especially when it comes to vaccination exercises,” he told the press after chairing a meeting on rabies at Sibu Islamic Complex here yesterday.
Dr Annuar also advised the public not to transport dogs from infected areas to non-infected areas.
He said it is unclear where the infected dogs had come from, adding that for them to reach Sibu, they would have had to pass by Sibu Jaya which has not recorded any rabies-positive cases.
“We do not know where these infected dogs came from or whether they have bitten any humans.
“What we do know is they have bitten other dogs because that is how the three dogs (at Teng Chin Hua Road) tested positive for rabies.”
Dr Annuar called on dog owners within a 10km radius of Teng Chin Hua Road to quarantine their pet dogs at home.
“At the moment, the 10km radius area is very crucial.
“Dog owners must get their pets vaccinated as soon as possible.
Those who want to get their dogs vaccinated can do so at the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) office at Perpaduan Road,” he said, adding the department has so far vaccinated 8,081 dogs here.
The department conducts free vaccinations Monday to Friday, from 8.30 to 10.30am.
Also present at the press conference were Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, Sibu Deputy Resident Wong Hee Seng and DVS Sibu assistant officer Anthony Janggu.