Lo speaking to reporters when attending a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house event organised by Persatuan Penduduk Kampung Haji Baki today.

KUCHING (May 14): Two rabies fatalities have been reported in Batu Kitang state constituency this month alone, said Lo Khere Chiang.

According to the Batu Kitang assemblyman, one case was reported from Kampung Tematu, involving a 24-year-old man on May 10 while another was reported from Kampung Bumbok on May 11, whereby a 50-year-old victim had died after being bitten by a rabid dog.

“It is very sad that the victims had died from the rabies disease and I think both of them did not seek medical attention immediately when they got bitten by the rabid dogs.

“Where rabies is concerned, we must wash our wounds and seek medical attention immediately,” he told reporters when asked to comment on the matter at a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house event held at Kampung Haji Baki multipurpose hall today.

Reporters were told that two more villagers had sought medical attention after being bitten by dogs at Kampung Bumbok last night.

Lo urged the local authorities and enforcement agencies to go all out in stamping out rabies outbreak in the state, which has so far claimed eight lives this year.

“I would like to urge the public to keep their pet dogs inside their house compound and get them vaccinated against rabies. Please don’t let them roam freely on the streets,” said Lo, who is a former Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman.

Lo also concurred that conducting joint operations to capture stray dogs on the streets might be the only effective approach to eradicate rabies for now, adding that the rabid dogs that have yet to be captured would usually die within a week due to the infectious disease.

He also advised pet owners to neuter their dogs so that they will not ‘multiply’ unnecessarily.