FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1987
NEW RABIES INFECTED AREA AT TA KWU LING
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THE NEW RABIES INFECTED AREA AT TA KWU LING, NEW TERRITORIES CAME INTO EFFECT TODAY (FRIDAY).
A GOVERNMENT GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY WILL BE PUBLISHED TOMORROW TO GIVE RETROSPECTIVE EFFECT TO THE DESIGNATION.
THE NEW RABIES INFECTED AREA LIES TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONTIER CLOSED AREA BOUNDARY, TO THE NORTH OF SIU HANG TSUEN AND PING CHE AND BETWEEN SIU HANG TSUEN AND LO SHUE LING IN THE WEST AND TSUNG YUEN HA AND PING CHE IN THE EAST.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE EXISTING RABIES INFECTED AREA IN THE FRONTIER CLOSED AREA WHICH HAS BEEN IN FORCE SINE 1980,
THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT'S ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (AGRICULTURE), DR THOMAS YIP, SAID DESIGNATION OF THE NEW RABIES INFECTED AREA FOLLOWED A CONFIRMED INDIGENOUS RABIES CASE IN SING PING SAN TSUEN EARLIER THIS WEEK. IT INVOLVED A THREE-MONTH-OLD PUPPY WHICH DIED OF RABIES AFTER HAVING BITTEN FOUR PEOPLE.
HE SAID, NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED TO BE BROUGHT INTO OR OUT OF THE RABIES INFECTED AREA WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES.
+SPECIAL SIGNS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ERECTED AROUND THE AREA TO WARN THE PUBLIC TO THIS EFFECT.
INSIDE THE DESIGNATED AREA, INTENSIVE OPERATIONS ARE CONTINUING INCLUDING HOUSE-TO-HOUSE VISITS TO ENSURE ALL DOGS ARE INOCULATED AND LICENSED, AND TO RID THE AREA OF STRAY DOGS.
IN THE PAST TWO DAYS, 38 DOGS WERE CAUGHT OR VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERED BY LOCAL VILLAGERS TO DOG CONTROL STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT. IN THE SPECIAL OPERATION CARRIED OUT IN THE AREA TODAY, ANOTHER 59 DOGS AND TWO CATS WERE ROUNDED UP INSIDE THE INFECTED AREA.
DR YIP ADVISED THAT ANY DOG BITING INCIDENT MUST BE REPORTED TO THE POLICE WITHOUT DELAY AND THE BITER ANIMAL HANDED OVER TO THE NEAREST GOVERNMENT KENNEL FOR OBSERVATION.
+PROMPT REPORTING WILL ENABLE EARLY DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS OF THE DISEASE AND EARLY REMEDIAL MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO PREVENT ITS SPREAD, HE STRESSED.
DR YIP ALSO URGED DOG OWNERS TO HAVE THEIR DOGS INOCULATED AND PUT UNDER PROPER CONTROL AT ALL TIMES, AND TO SURRENDER UNWANTED DOGS TO THE DEPARTMENT.
THE PREVIOUS RABIES OUTBREAK WAS IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN A 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS BITTEN BY A RABID DOG IN SO KWUN PO VILLAGE
IN SHEUNG SHUI.
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