SIBU, Nov 29 — The rabies situation in the city is alarming as almost half of the samples taken tested positive for the disease, said Sarawak Assistant Local Government and Housing Minister Annuar Rapaee.

He said of the 104 random samples taken so far, 50 of them were positive for rabies, while the number of dog-bite incidences and stray dogs being caught by the local authorities had also increased during the first 10 months of this year.

"The number of dog-bite cases recorded by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is 1,213 while 1,271 stray dogs have been caught by SMC,” he told reporters after launching a ‘plogging’ (a recreational activity that combines jogging with picking up litter) programme at Kampung Nangka here today.

He said the other two local authorities in the district, Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) and Kanowit District Council (KDC), each recorded 47 and 90 cases of dog bites.

Dr Annuar, who is also Nangka assemblyman said, so far three rabies deaths had been recorded in Sibu, and that awareness programmes needed to be intensified to keep the public updated on the current situation of the disease. — Bernama