KUALA LUMPUR: The government is targeting for the country to be free from rabies outbreak by the year 2030.
Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin said efforts were underway to achieve the target with cases detected only in Sarawak and under control.
He said anti-rabies vaccinations have been made compulsory for dogs in buffer zones of Sarawak and Sabah, while they remain optional for the other states as preventive measures.
"It is important to get the pets vaccinated and dogs can be vaccinated as early as three months old.
"The concern is when dog owners refuse to register their pets, which is irresponsible. Hence it will make it difficult (for authorities) to control the disease," he said in a press conference after officiating World Rabies Day here today.
For Sarawak, the government has targeted to vaccinate 40,000 dogs but as of Sept 7, only only 27,668 have completed the process, he said.
Rabies infection in Sarawak remains high with 90 dogs and seven cats detected this year.
In total, 65 people have died after being infected with rabies there.
Veterinary Services Department veterinary public health division senior director Dr Rohaya Mohd Ali said that dogs in Sarawak were rarely put on a leash, which could contribute to the high number of cases there.
The best way to tackle the cases, apart from creating awareness about the disease, was to get the pets vaccinated and control its populations.
For population control, she said that stray dogs which were captured will usually be castrated before being released.
"In Sarawak, rabies is considered endemic.
"If there are suspected cases of rabies, please inform the department for prompt action," she added.