Thursday, September 7, 1972
RABIES PREVENTION BOOKLET PUBLISHED
Do you keep a dog at home? If you do, has it been licensed and
inoculated against rabies?
Under the provisions of the Dogs and Cats Ordinance, anyone keeping
a dog over the age of three months without a licence is liable to a fine of
$1,000 and to imprisonment for six months.
This is one of the many control measures taken by the Government to
ensure that Hong Kong remains free from rabies.
Other measures include quarantine of all dogs and cats entering Hong
Kong from abroad.
A descriptive booklet, drawing the public's attention to the licensing
requirement for dogs and giving an account of the control measures taken to
prevent an outbreak of rabies, has been prepared by the Government Information
Services in conjunction with the Agriculture and Fisheries Department.
Entitled "Rabies Prevention in Hong Kong", it tells the story of the
fatal disease its history, its incidences in Hong Kong before 1955, its
symptoms in dogs and in man, its cause and transmission and its prevention.
Rabies, if it occurs, can be a very real menace to public health.
The potential danger may be reduced to a minimum by the whole-hearted
co-operation of the community with the government in preventive measures.
The booklet urges all members of the public who are keeping dogs which
have not been licensed, in other words, dogs which have not been inoculated against
rabies either, to realise the serious nature of their offence.
Copies of the booklet, in both English and Chinese, are available at the
Dog Licensing and Inoculation Centres of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department
and at all City District Offices,
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