KUCHING, Oct 2 ― The Sarawak government has approved a RM7.07 million budget as part of its action plan for rabies control and eradication this year, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah said today.

He said the amount proved the state government’s commitment to end the spread of rabies, which had claimed 33 lives since 2017, in the next five years.

"Our goal is zero rabies in humans in 2022 and zero rabies in dogs by 2025,” he said in his speech at the state-level World Rabies Day celebration here.

The text of his speech was read by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian.

Citing state data, Uggah said 33 people in the state, including children, have died after being bitten by rabid dogs since 2017.

He said the allocation is to enhance manpower and logistics resources to combat the disease.