SIBU, Sept 27: Sarawak has recorded an alarming figure of 88,606 animal bites since 2017, says Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg .
He said that even though not all of the cases of animal bites are bitten by rabid animals, the high number is still a concern. The total number of human rabies cases in Sarawak is 72 with 65 (90.3 per cent) deaths since 2017.
“I sincerely hope this number will not increase in the near future,” he said at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Zoonotic and Neglected Tropical Disease 2023 here today. His speech text was read out by Sarawak Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government II Michael Tiang Ming Tee.
In view of the concerns, the Sarawak government will build a Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC), a research facility costing RM200 million, located close to Sarawak Heart Centre in Samarahan. It will have a world-class BSL3 (Biosafety Level 3) laboratory, which will greatly enhance research into infectious diseases.
— BERNAMA