BUTTERWORTH, Oct 1 – The Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said there was no individuals in the country have tested positive for Rabies, only dogs have tested positive for Rabies. He in a statement on Wednesday said there has been a wrong perception about the disease (Rabies) and reiterated that Malaysia has not registered any case of a human being testing positive for Rabies.
Penang registered 92 cases whereby people were bitten by dogs and from the total three dogs which were captured tested positive for Rabies since Sept 14. Dr Hilmi said there was no human has tested positive in the country while they also having 13 cases whereby dogs in Kedah, Perlis and Penang tested positive for Rabies.
“In the same time, there was also enough of the vaccine and immunoglobulin serum which also to cater for any type of Rabies cases in the country,” he told the reporters at the Perak Islamic Medicine Association’s silver jubilee celebration here on Wednesday.
According to statistics issued by the Veterinary Services Department yesterday, 883 stray dogs were captured in Penang, 12 are under quarantine while 443 have been given treatment while some were killed. Meanwhile, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng denied claims by some non governmental organisations that the government was cruel to cull stray dogs.
“In the same time, we are more concerned with the lives of humans rather than the dangers posed by stray dogs. The state government through the Veterinary Services Department had carried out various initiatives to curb the dangers and spread of Rabies,” he said.
