GEORGE TOWN, Sept 22 – The Veterinary Services Department director Dr Siti Salmiah Tahir, who was present at the press conference today at Komtar said they had been confirmed that the state has run out of rabies vaccines as of last night while the new vaccine stock was expected to arrive to Penang in the early October.
The State Veterinary Services Department amid rabies outbreak in the state said there were also five people have been bitten by dogs in Penang in less than 24 hours, bringing the number up to 41 from 36. She explained that out of the 36 cases of people being bitten by dogs, 21 were by strays while 15 by household pets.
So far, only three stray dogs, who had bitten humans in Penang, were tested positive for rabies. In this moment, there were no humans have been tested positive for rabies in Penang. Meanwhile, there were also a total 342 stray dogs in Penang were killed since the culling operation started on September 16.
In the same time, there were also 50 samples from 342 dogs were taken to be sent to the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh, Perak for diagnosis on rabies. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has also urged an NGO to bring in the vaccines instead of just talking about it which no action taken.
“My decision was based on recommendations from experts from the Veterinary Services Department and Health Ministry. I have also met with the NGOs and local animal groups such as Save Our Strays (SOS) and 4Paws on Sunday to listen to their plan. In additional, what is needed here is rationality and professionalism and not being emotional as this concerns public health and human lives,” he said.
