Kuching: Pending Assemblywoman Violet Yong Wui Wui has called on the Sarawak state government to urgently step up public education and vaccination efforts to combat rabies, warning that current measures are outdated and ineffective.
“The state government must urgently intensify education. I call for a dedicated Public Anti-Rabies Education Unit to focus on public awareness, proper post-bite response, responsible pet ownership, and the vaccination of both dogs and cats.
“This is affordable, practical, and long overdue. It can be set up under either the Department of Veterinary Services or the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government,” she said during her debate on the State Budget 2026 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday.
Yong emphasised that after eight years of efforts with over 80 deaths, Sarawak still struggles to control rabies, signaling the need for external expertise if existing agencies cannot meet the challenge.
“Sarawak still lacks an effective, comprehensive strategy. Rabies is fatal, but entirely preventable when post-exposure steps are taken quickly, washing wounds for 15 minutes, receiving HRIG (Human Rabies Immune Globulin), and completing the full vaccine series. Yet public awareness remains dangerously low,” she said.
She pointed to successful examples in Japan and many Western countries, which eradicated rabies through compulsory pet vaccination.
“Sarawak must do the same. The data is clear: cats are now the main source of bite incidents. Continuing to focus only on dogs is outdated and ineffective.
“I therefore urge the State Government to expand its rabies strategy immediately and make mandatory cat vaccination a core component of Sarawak’s anti-rabies programme,” Yong said.
She said that ending rabies requires action, not repetition of old approaches.
“We must avoid losing more lives to a disease we already know how to prevent,” she said.
