XN000022-1986-11-04 — Page 14

13

-

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1986

LARGER NUMBER OF DOGS BEING INOCULATED

*****

GREATER PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE TO BRING RABIES UNDER CONTROL HAS RESULTED IN MORE DOGS BEING INOCULATED AND MORE REPORTS OF STRAY DOGS BEING MADE TO THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S SENIOR VETERINARY OFFICER, DR NORMAN CHENG, TODAY (TUESDAY) WHEN HE GAVE DETAILS OF A DISTRICT ANTI-RABIES DRIVE TO BE CARRIED OUT IN YUEN LONG AND TAI PO THIS MONTH.

DR CHENG SAID THAT IN SEPTEMBER ALONE STAFF OF THE DOG CONTROL UNIT HAD INOCULATED 4 830 DOGS, WHICH REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 60 PER CENT OVER THE AVERAGE MONTHLY INOCULATION FIGURE OF 3 000.

+THIS BROUGHT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INOCULATIONS FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR TO 28 600, ALREADY EXCEEDING LAST YEAR'S FIGURE OF 28 100, + HE SAID.

IN ADDITION, HE SAID, OVER 10 630 STRAY DOGS WERE ROUNDED UP IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

THIS WAS A GOOD SIGN OF PUBLIC VIGILANCE AGAINST RABIES AND THAT THE DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTINUE WITH ITS STRINGENT CONTROL MEASURES TO PREVENT A RESURGENCE OF THE DISEASE.

THE SE MEASURES INCLUDE QUARANTINE OF IMPORTED DOGS AND CATS, OBSERVATION OF BITER ANIMALS, STRAY DOG CONTROL AND MOBILE INOCULATION SERVICES TO RURAL VILLAGES.

THE YUEN LONG VILLAGES TO BE VISITED INCLUDE KIU TAU WAI, TIN SHUI WAI, MONG TSENG TSUEN, TONG FONG TSUEN, FUNG KA WAI, WING NING TSUEN, SHA KUI TSUEN AND TAN KWAI TSUEN.

THE TAI PO VILLAGES ARE YUE KOK, YUE KOK TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA,

NAM HANG, OLD MARKET, CHUK HANG, YING PUN HA, TAI PO TAU KAM SHAN, PUN CHUN YUEN, LÍN AU, WAN TAU TONG, PUN CHUNG, SAN PUN CHUNG AND PAK KIU TSAI.

J

DOG OWNERS IN THESE VILLAGES SHOULD MAKE FULL USE OF THE MOBILE SERVICES TO HAVE THEIR PETS INOCULATED AND LICENSED.

J

+ANY PERSON WHO KEEPS A DOG OVER FIVE MONTHS OLD WHICH IS NOT INOCULATED AGAINST RABIES, OR WHO LETS HIS DOG STRAY, IS LIABLE TO A MAXIMUM FINE OF $5 000 AND SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT,+ DR CHENG POINTED OUT.

0

/14