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Anti-rabies inoculation drive launched in fishing ports
The Agriculture and Fisheries Department will launch a half-yearly dog inoculation drive in fishing ports over the next two weeks so that fishermen can have their dogs immunised against rabies.
Starting from Monday (January 16), mobile dog inoculation teams will go to seven fishing ports one after the other and make boat-to-boat visits between 10 am and 4 pm daily. The whole operation is expected to last until January 24.
They will visit the fishing ports in Sha Tau Kok on January 16; Cheung Chau on January 16 and 17; Sam Mun Chai on January 17 and 18; Shau Kei Wan on January 18 and 19; Castle Peak Bay on January 19 and 20; Aberdeen and Sai Kung on January 23 and 24.
The drive, a regular exercise since 1980, is intended to help fishermen who find little time to take their dogs to an inoculation centre or a government- kennel for inoculation.
The department's Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr K K Liu, said today (Friday) that the drive was part of the Government's continuing efforts to prevent the outbreak of rabies in Hong Kong.
"The territory regained the rabies-free area status on July 10, 1989 by having successfully prevented the outbreak of any indigenous rabies case since July 10, 1987," he said.
Nevertheless, he stressed that rabies was a deadly disease transmissible “ from animals to human. Dogs on fishing vessels are particularly vulnerable because of their possible contacts with other animals outside Hong Kong.
"It is, therefore, important that fishermen's dogs are inoculated against the disease at least every three years to keep up their immunity," Dr Liu added.
He called on fishermen who owned dogs to make full use of the special inoculation service.
Under the Rabies Ordinance, all dogs over five months old are required to be licensed and inoculated against rabies. Failure to do so will render the owner liable to a maximum fine of $10,000.
End/Friday, January 13, 1995