Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng said the state is open to the alternative approach proposed by WVS but this is dependent on the availability of vaccines as human lives should be given priority in a public health crisis. ― Picture by K. E. Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 29 — Penang has agreed to collaborate with international organisation, World Veterinary Services (WVS), to launch a mass vaccination programme to prevent the spread of rabies in the state, Lim Guan Eng announced today.

The Penang chief minister said the state is open to the alternative approach proposed by WVS but this is dependent on the availability of vaccines.

“We are willing to collaborate with them on this alternative approach, to set up a team and plan out the logistics but we understand this will take time, of between three to six months to do it,” Lim said in a press conference at his office here.

Earlier, Lim met with WVS chief executive officer Dr Luke Gamble along with Veterinary Services Department (DVS) directors from Penang and Putrajaya at a meeting that lasted almost two hours.

For now, until the vaccines are available, Lim said culling of stray dogs will continue as human lives should be given priority in a time of public health crisis such as this.

He said for WVS to bring the vaccines into the country, it will require the necessary approvals from Putrajaya.

According to DVS senior chief assistant director Dr Rozanah Asmah Abd Samad, the vaccines will need to be evaluated before it is allowed into the country.

“Usually it takes about three months but this case, we will try to speed it up to about one month,” she said.

As for whether DVS will also implement the mass vaccination programme proposed by WVS in the two other states affected, she said it depends on the states.

“For now, it will be a pilot programme in Penang first,” she said.

Gamble said WVS will be bringing in 40,000 doses of vaccines worth £400,000 (RM2.6 million) for a flagship programme to control the spread of rabies in Asia.

“This will be an exciting flagship programme for both human and animal health because it is more progressive and innovative, which exceeds World Health Organisation guidelines,” he said.

He thanked and commended the state government for being bold and progressive enough in accepting WVS’ rabies control proposal.

In the programme, the mass vaccinations is aimed at vaccinating a minimum 70 per cent of the dog population in the state to stop the spread of rabies.

Gamble said dogs that are vaccinated will be marked and after the mass vaccinations, they will conduct a check to ensure at least 70 per cent of the dog population is vaccinated.

“The marking is apparent from far so we can immediately ascertain a vaccinated dog from far,” he said.

He believed that there are about 50,000 stray dogs in the state but said a baseline study is needed to confirm the actual numbers.

There have been three rabies cases reported in Penang so far with no new cases to date.

The state started mass culling of stray dogs on September 16 and as at September 28, have killed 883 stray dogs.

Lim said the state has run out of vaccines now and DVS is bringing in 750 doses by this Friday.

The Penang state government will also be purchasing 5,000 doses of vaccines.