Designing and Evaluating Intervention for Prevention and Control Towards Rabies in Malaysia

Designing and evaluating intervention for prevention and control towards rabies among rural populations in Sabah, Malaysia

Rabies is a significant but neglected disease predominantly transmitted through dog bites and responsible for an estimated 55,000 to more than 70,000 human deaths annually worldwide but occurring mostly in Asia and Africa. With continuous effort, Malaysia declared free from rabies in 2003. However, there were rabies outbreak occurred in three states in 2015 and in Sarawak in 2017. Hence, Sabah is considered high risk state because is neighbouring Sarawak.

The Skuad PErangi Rabies (SPERA) Project was led by Dr Zulkhairul Naim bin Sidek Ahmad from Universiti Malaysia Sabah with the support of his team to maintain zero human rabies case among rural populations in Sipitang, Sabah.