New feline front in Sarawak's rabies battle but complacency is greatest enemy
THE menace of human rabies in Sarawak continues to dog efforts to contain and eradicate it.
Since the first cases were detected in 2017, the potentially fatal outbreak usually caused through dog bites has unfortunately spread across the entire state.
Several fatalities are reported each year. As if the potential for rabies to become endemic is not worrisome enough, the first cases of rabies from cat scratches have been reported.
Kuching City South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng revealed in early April a rabies-positive case involving a cat out of eight cases state-wide from March 28 to April 6. Four of these rabies cases were reported in Kuching.
Although the case involving a stray cat was by no means the first such case, Wee said it should alert people to be more vigilant against the disease.
There have been campaigns to catch stray dogs and for the mass-vaccination of pet dogs so as to contain the spread of the disease in humans, but no similar campaigns of rounding up stray cats and vaccinating felines have taken place.
The greatest enemy in the anti-rabies exercise may well be public complacency.
Since reported cases of human infection are relatively few, the community is easily lulled into thinking the rabies scourge is contained.
Greater resources ought to be committed towards creating greater general awareness of the disease, its symptoms and the importance of early treatment to avoid succumbing to it.
With the horrors of the Covid-19 pandemic still fresh in public memory and the threat of the mass spread of life-threatening viruses becoming increasingly prevalent, efforts must be redoubled to nip potential new public-health crises in the bud.
Although it is too late to put the rabies genie back into the bottle, lessons must be identified and remedies thought up so the state will be well-prepared for the next such public health threat.
Perhaps the special high-level state ad-hoc committee that springs into action in the event of any public emergency, such as a natural or public-health disaster, needs to be institutionalised as a professionally run rapid-reaction agency that swiftly contains health threats.
Kuching is not just famed for its ubiquitous cat statues but stray cats roaming its streets, sustained by residents leaving food for them. Cat-lovers — both locals and visitors — stop to admire the street felines, taking pictures with them and invariably even patting them.
Should there be an uptick in cases of cat-borne rabies in Kuching or other parts of the state, public attention must be stepped up to highlight the health risks posed by public affection lavished on cats.
It will, of course, be deeply disappointing if there comes the time when the animal that is Kuching's mascot gets closely associated with a dreaded disease.
The public and officials alike must all do their utmost to avoid such a terrible eventuality. Unfortunately, complacency will only make that eventuality inevitable.
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New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
WHO: Covid-19 origins still unknown, all theories remain open
GENEVA: All hypotheses on how the Covid-19 pandemic began remain open, the World Health Organization said Friday, following an inconclusive four-year investigation that was hamstrung by crucial information being withheld. The global catastrophe killed an estimated 20 million people, according to the WHO, while shredding economies, crippling health systems and turning people's lives upside-down. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid came from is seen as key to preventing future pandemics. However, a lengthy investigation launched by the UN's health agency said that pending further data, the origins of Covid and how it first spread would remain inconclusive. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. After much delay, a WHO team of experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to look into the origins of the virus in cooperation with their Chinese counterparts. Their March 2021 joint report concluded that the most likely hypothesis was that the virus jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal. They also deemed the theory that it might have escaped from Wuhan's virology laboratories "extremely unlikely." However, that investigation faced harsh criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory seriously. Tedros launched another investigation, setting up the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) in July 2021. The report by the group of 27 experts was published on Friday. "Until further requests for information are met, or more scientific data becomes available, the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it entered the human population will remain inconclusive," SAGO chair Marietjie Venter said at the press conference. She added that it was "not yet clear" if the Wuhan seafood market was where the virus first spilled over into humans. As for lab leak theories, she said much of the information needed to assess this hypothesis had not been made available, so it "could not be investigated, or excluded." "Over the past five years, we have learned a lot about Covid-19 but there is one crucial question about the pandemic that we have not yet answered: how it started," Tedros said. He said SAGO had advanced understanding of the origins of Covid-19 but much of the information needed to evaluate fully all the hypotheses had not been provided. "Despite our repeated requests, China hasn't provided hundreds of viral sequences from individuals with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information on animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan," he said. "WHO is also aware of intelligence reports performed by other governments around the world on the origins of Covid-19. We have also requested access to those reports." US President Donald Trump's administration has officially embraced the lab leak theory. Tedros said finding out how Covid-19 started was a moral imperative for the sake of those who lost their lives in the pandemic. He also said the virus was continuing to evolve, take lives and leave people suffering with post-Covid conditions, or so-called long Covid.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
New feline front in Sarawak's rabies battle but complacency is greatest enemy
THE menace of human rabies in Sarawak continues to dog efforts to contain and eradicate it. Since the first cases were detected in 2017, the potentially fatal outbreak usually caused through dog bites has unfortunately spread across the entire state. Several fatalities are reported each year. As if the potential for rabies to become endemic is not worrisome enough, the first cases of rabies from cat scratches have been reported. Kuching City South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng revealed in early April a rabies-positive case involving a cat out of eight cases state-wide from March 28 to April 6. Four of these rabies cases were reported in Kuching. Although the case involving a stray cat was by no means the first such case, Wee said it should alert people to be more vigilant against the disease. There have been campaigns to catch stray dogs and for the mass-vaccination of pet dogs so as to contain the spread of the disease in humans, but no similar campaigns of rounding up stray cats and vaccinating felines have taken place. The greatest enemy in the anti-rabies exercise may well be public complacency. Since reported cases of human infection are relatively few, the community is easily lulled into thinking the rabies scourge is contained. Greater resources ought to be committed towards creating greater general awareness of the disease, its symptoms and the importance of early treatment to avoid succumbing to it. With the horrors of the Covid-19 pandemic still fresh in public memory and the threat of the mass spread of life-threatening viruses becoming increasingly prevalent, efforts must be redoubled to nip potential new public-health crises in the bud. Although it is too late to put the rabies genie back into the bottle, lessons must be identified and remedies thought up so the state will be well-prepared for the next such public health threat. Perhaps the special high-level state ad-hoc committee that springs into action in the event of any public emergency, such as a natural or public-health disaster, needs to be institutionalised as a professionally run rapid-reaction agency that swiftly contains health threats. Kuching is not just famed for its ubiquitous cat statues but stray cats roaming its streets, sustained by residents leaving food for them. Cat-lovers — both locals and visitors — stop to admire the street felines, taking pictures with them and invariably even patting them. Should there be an uptick in cases of cat-borne rabies in Kuching or other parts of the state, public attention must be stepped up to highlight the health risks posed by public affection lavished on cats. It will, of course, be deeply disappointing if there comes the time when the animal that is Kuching's mascot gets closely associated with a dreaded disease. The public and officials alike must all do their utmost to avoid such a terrible eventuality. Unfortunately, complacency will only make that eventuality inevitable. Related Articles Nation Jan 22, 2025 @ 9:37am Sarawak enforces new anti-rabies vaccination order Nation Mar 29, 2025 @ 3:06am Sarawak records 11 new rabies cases in March Politics May 11, 2025 @ 2:36am Zahid to Umno: No room for complacency, bigger battles ahead Nation Apr 17, 2025 @ 8:00pm Promising results, but an uphill battle for 'climate warriors'
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Dr Wee: UM medical tuition hike a barrier for qualified B40 students
KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya's medical tuition fees, which have gone up for the 2025/2026 intake, have come under fire by student unions and MCA. 'The sharp hike risks shutting out academically qualified but poor B40 students from pursuing degrees in medicine and other critical fields,' said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. 'Are we now saying that children from less privileged backgrounds do not deserve to become doctors or pursue critical fields? Is the medical profession now reserved exclusively for the wealthy?' he asked during a press conference yesterday. Tuition fees for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme have increased to RM500,000 for the 2025/2026 intake. This marks a jump from RM299,200 in the 2024/2025 session. These numbers were provided in a video from three months ago by Universiti Malaya Student Union (UMSU) student representative Lee Yu Dong, who is also an activist with the University Malaya Association of New Youth. Lee said that the high costs could lead to inequality in access to professional degrees. In another TikTok video posted around the same time, Jelyn Ong, who is a UMSU medical faculty student representative, said that access to public medical education is being shaped by one's ability to pay instead of academic performance. Speaking up: Dr Wee (seated, second from right) urging the government to uphold education rights for B40 children at a press conference. Also present were Chong (seated, second from left), Wong (right), and Leong (left). — LOW BOON TAT/The Star Dr Wee said yesterday that MCA was concerned about recent developments in Malaysia's higher education landscape, especially policies that appear to marginalise children from low-income families. 'It is disheartening that public universities are being seen as increasingly selective towards students from high-income families. This raises questions about the fairness of the meritocracy we claim to uphold,' he said. He also took issue with UM's admission channel known as Saluran Terbuka Universiti Malaya (Satu). According to him, students who secured a place via UPU – the centralised government admission platform – are charged only RM15,000 for the same five-year programme. The Satu channel is an alternative pathway for students to apply directly to UM, bypassing the primary UPU system used by Malaysia's public universities. It caters to students who missed the UPU deadline, were not offered a place or wished to apply with alternative qualifications like A-Levels or diplomas. The criteria for enrolment in degree programmes differ between UPU and Satu channels. For UPU, applicants need a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00-3.80, with a higher threshold of 3.80 for competitive courses like MBBS. Accepted qualifications include Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Matriculation, Asasi UM, or equivalent such as A-Levels with AAA grades or IB with 36 points. Additionally, candidates must meet specific subject requirements, such as an A- in Biology, Chemistry and Physics/Mathematics for MBBS. Satu maintains similar academic standards but offers flexibility for non-current-year qualifications. For Malaysians applying to MBBS through Satu, a CGPA of 3.80 is required. Referring to UM's annual reports, Dr Wee pointed out that enrolment through Satu had risen from just 142 in 2018 to 399 in 2022. Citing data from the Higher Education Ministry, he said that nearly 60% of applicants to public universities in 2022 came from B40 households. 'What kind of message are we sending to this majority? That unless you can pay half a million ringgit, you have no future in medicine?' he asked. He warned that academic performance alone may no longer guarantee a place at public universities if wealth becomes the new gatekeeper. Also present at yesterday's press conference were MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon, Wanita MCA chairperson Datuk Wong You Fong, and committee member Datuk Leong Kok Wee.
