Ahead of World Rabies Day on Sept. 28, the Council of Agriculture, the Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association and local animal protection agencies across the nation are offering rabies vaccines to pet cats and dogs for free or at discounted prices to raise awareness of the disease and halt its spread.
The council’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director-General Chang Su-San (張淑賢) said yesterday that about 1.02 million doses of vaccine were given last year — about 630,000 between July and September.
Bureau statistics showed that out of the 4,098 canines, felines, bats and wild animals inspected between January last year and August, 384 ferret badgers had rabies. Two other cases involved a puppy and a house shrew that had been bitten by rabid ferret-badgers.
Photo: CNA
Rabies is most prevalent in Greater Taitung, where 186 cases occurred, statistics showed.
However, statistics on pet cats produced from July last year to June and on dogs from August last year to July showed that the vaccination rates for each have dropped, from 69 percent to 61 percent.
“The vaccination rate must be at least 70 percent to effectively curb the spread of rabies from animals to people,” she said, adding that owners of unvaccinated pets risk a fine of up to NT$50,000.
The Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association said that members are to bicycle to Greater Kaohsiung on Sept. 27 and to Pingtung County on Sept. 28 to give free rabies shots.
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