Samut Songkhram governor reveals anti-rabies measure
As a rabies outbreak hits parts of Thailand, Samut Songkhram governor Khanchat Tansathien on Monday revealed a plan to clear streets in the province of 3,000 stray dogs by next year by having local administrative bodies round up strays to be kept at shelters.
Keeping strays in such enclosed facilities would ensure vaccination coverage, rabies prevention and control of the stray population, he said.
Khanchat made his comment while he accompanied officials who were vaccinating and sterilising 65 dogs at a private shelter run by 58-year-old cleaning lady Wandee Moongkhamen in Tambon Thai Hat of Muang district. The visit was to promote her facility as a model for stray-dog management.
Kanchat said the province had detected two rabid dogs – one during the 2016-2017 period and one this year.
In Tambon Sadao of Buri Ram’s Nang Rong district, the provincial livestock development office has vaccinated and quarantined 11 buffaloes that were in the same enclosure as a 10-year-old female buffalo that was bitten by a suspected rabid dog late last month. It died on Saturday of an unconfirmed cause and its carcass was buried. The suspected rabid dog was destroyed before being testing for rabies.
Cats and dogs in a one-kilometre radius have also been vaccinated.