Culling of Stray Dogs as a Mean to Eliminate Rabies Transmission: An Analysis from Malaysian and Islamic Law Perspective with Special Reference to Ḥifz Al-Nafs (Protection of Life)

This paper aims to examine the position of culling of stray dogs during the 2015 rabies outbreak in Malaysia as a measure to eliminate rabies transmission from the perspective Malaysian legal framework and Islamic law with special reference to ḥifz al-nafs (protection of life). For that purpose, this paper discusses the Malaysian law and policy pertaining to rabies and rabies control as stated in two Malaysian statutes, namely Animals Act 1953 (Act 647), Animals (Amendment) Act 2013 (Act A1452) and Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). It further analyses the position of culling of stray dogs in eliminating transmission of rabies from the Islamic law perspective by applying the concept of maṣlaḥah mursalah (consideration of public interest) and sadd al-dharā’iʿ (blocking the means) in order to analyze the measure within the framework of maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Sharīʿah) in general, and ḥifzʿala al-nafs (protection of life) in particular. In the light of these objectives, it also evaluates the position of culling of stray dogs by outweighing the situation when the life of human were in conflict with the life of animals (i.e. stray dogs) using the Islamic legal maxim. This paper concludes that the position of culling of stray dogs as a measure in eliminating rabies transmission is permissible (mubaḥ) in order to protect the public interest and to remove hardship in the society based on the evaluated determinant factors within the determined time scope, that are: i) the Malaysian experience and condition during the rabies outbreak; ii) the shortage of rabies vaccine in Malaysia during the outbreak; iii) the vital nature of the rabies virus; iv) the nature and habit of stray dogs as the main host of rabies virus; v) the nature of the conflicted harms between the harm to human and harm to stray dogs. It further concludes that the measure is important to protect the public health which consequently significant to achieve the social harmony

Disease conditions in cats and dogs diagnosed at the Post-Mortem Laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia between 2005 and 2015

Keeping pets is a growing trend in Malaysia. This retrospective study involves data analysis of cases of dogs and cats submitted to the Post-Mortem Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia between 2005 and 2015. A total of 37 disease conditions were diagnosed among dogs with septicaemia (10.2%), mammary gland tumor (8.4%) and canine distemper (7.9%) were significantly (p<0.05) more frequently diagnosed. In cats, a total of 27 disease conditions were diagnosed with traumatic injuries (19.5%), feline infectious peritonitis (15.1%) and sporotrichosis (12%) were significantly (p<0.05) more frequent. Poor awareness among pet owners towards the health requirements of their pets is a main reason for the above

Understanding Animal Health in Southeast Asia: Advances in the Collection, Management and Use of Animal Health Information

Livestock Production/Industries,

An investigation into the wild meat trade in Malaysia and its implications for zoonotic disease

Hunting wildlife for food has detrimental effects on many wild animal populations and represents a major threat to biodiversity. The great diversity of zoonotic pathogens identified in wildlife hosts may pose infection risks to humans involved in the wild meat trade. Southeast Asia is a hotspot for zoonotic emerging infectious diseases and the commercialisation of this trade presents challenges to wildlife conservation and public health. This dissertation explores these issues in Malaysia to better understand the consequences of wildlife trade.This study utilises survey data from establishments selling wild meat across Malaysia (collected by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia) in order to identify commonly traded species and uses published information to examine the drivers and impacts of this trade on wildlife populations. A literature review determines the potential zoonotic infection risks and transmission routes to hunters, traders and consumers, focusing the discussion on significant pathogens from commonly available species. The microbial food safety risks of this trade are highlighted by a proposal to conduct a risk assessment on the hazard of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia. coli (STEC) from wild deer, following Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines.This dissertation suggests that consumer preferences for wild meat drive the increasingly commercial trade in Malaysia, with wild pig, deer and reptile species being commonly hunted and leading to significant impacts upon some populations. The great variety of traded wildlife can host numerous zoonotic pathogens and several species (e.g. wild ungulates, reptiles and macaques) may harbour multiple pathogens, which can cause human diseases associated with hunting, butchering and consumption. Many bacteria and parasites are transmitted to humans via foodborne routes, which lead to the proposal for a food safety risk assessment on the STEC hazard from wild venison. The review also highlights the lack of pathogen data for certain species and advises further epidemiological research on wildlife and human populations in Malaysia. Overall, the dissertation asserts that the wild meat trade threatens wildlife populations and risks human zoonotic disease in Malaysia, a conclusion of importance for conservation and public health strategies

Rabies-Related Knowledge and Practices Among Persons At Risk of Bat Exposures in Thailand

Rabies is a fatal encephalitis caused by lyssaviruses. Evidence of lyssavirus circulation has recently emerged in Southeast Asian bats. We surveyed persons regularly exposed to bats and bat habitats in Thailand to assess rabies‐related knowledge and practices. Targeted groups included guano miners, bat hunters, game wardens, and residents/personnel at Buddhist temples where mass bat roosting occurs. Of the 106 people interviewed, 11 (10%) identified bats as a source of rabies. History of a bat bite/scratch was reported by 29 (27%), and 38 (36%) expressed either that they would do nothing or that they did not know what they would do in response to a bat bite. Guano miners were less likely than other groups to indicate animal bites as a mechanism of transmission (68% vs. 90%, p=0.03) and were less likely to say they would respond appropriately to a bat bite or scratch (61% vs. 27%, p=0.003). These findings indicate a need for educational outreach in Thailand to raise awareness of bat rabies, promote exposure prevention, and ensure health‐seeking behaviors for bat‐inflicted wounds, particularly among at‐risk groups

Where will the dhole survive in 2030? Predicted strongholds in mainland Southeast Asia

Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is threatened with extinction across its range due to habitat loss and prey depletion. Despite this, no previous study has investigated the distribution and threat of the species at a regional scale. This lack of knowledge continues to impede conservation planning for the species. Here we modeled suitable habitat using presence-only camera trap data for dhole and dhole prey species in mainland Southeast Asia and assessed the threat level to dhole in this region using an expert-informed Bayesian Belief Network. We integrated prior information to identify dhole habitat strongholds that could support populations over the next 50 years. Our habitat suitability model identified forest cover and prey availability as the most influential factors affecting dhole occurrence. Similarly, our threat model predicted that forest loss and prey depletion were the greatest threats, followed by local hunting, non-timber forest product collection, and domestic dog incursion into the forest. These threats require proactive resource management, strong legal protection, and cross-sector collaboration. We predicted &lt;20% of all remaining forest cover in our study area to be suitable for dhole. We then identified 17 patches of suitable forest area as potential strongholds. Among these patches, Western Forest Complex (Thailand) was identified as the region's only primary stronghold, while Taman Negara (Malaysia), and northeastern landscape (Cambodia) were identified as secondary strongholds. Although all 17 patches met our minimum size criteria (1667 km(2)), patches smaller than 3333 km(2) may require site management either by increasing the ecological carrying capacity (i.e., prey abundance) or maintaining forest extent. Our proposed interventions for dhole would also strengthen the conservation of other co-occurring species facing similar threats. Our threat assessment technique of species with scarce information is likely replicable with other endangered species

Modern versus traditional medical approaches among Muslim in Malay world

One of the amazing discoveries that are based on Quran is the medical science discovery. In nowadays Malay community, some Muslim professional medical officers or ‘medical doctor’ apply the modern technology or devices to diagnose and treat patients; while some others prefer to use traditional techniques to cure illnesses. Hence, the medical approaches in the Malay Muslim world can be divided into two main categories: modern and traditional. This paper is intended to discuss, to compare and to present a survey result on the practice of the approaches in the Malay world, specifically in Malaysia. The research was done by reading materials and carried out a survey related to the medical practices of Malay Muslim people in Malaysia on 30 Malay Muslim respondents. Based on the majority result, it is found out that the respondents had high preference on the modern medical approach because it is more effective but in contra is lack of application of Islamic elements by the practitioner. Besides, they felt that Islam is encouraging more on modern medical approach and less on traditional approach because majority of them agree that the traditional medical practice contains negative practice of worshipping the evil. Overall, both the medical approaches have their own strength and weaknesses. Hence, it is up to a Muslim to either prefer the modern method or traditional method as long as it is not violating their religion belief

Toward One Health: a spatial indicator system to model the facilitation of the spread of zoonotic diseases

Recurrent outbreaks of zoonotic infectious diseases highlight the importance of considering the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health in disease prevention and control. This has given rise to the concept of One Health, which recognizes the interconnectedness of between human and animal health within their ecosystems. As a contribution to the One Health approach, this study aims to develop an indicator system to model the facilitation of the spread of zoonotic diseases. Initially, a literature review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement to identify relevant indicators related to One Health. The selected indicators focused on demographics, socioeconomic aspects, interactions between animal and human populations and water bodies, as well as environmental conditions related to air quality and climate. These indicators were characterized using values obtained from the literature or calculated through distance analysis, geoprocessing tasks, and other methods. Subsequently, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques, specifically the Entropy and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods, were utilized to combine the indicators and create a composite metric for assessing the spread of zoonotic diseases. The final indicators selected were then tested against recorded zoonoses in the Valencian Community (Spain) for 2021, and a strong positive correlation was identified. Therefore, the proposed indicator system can be valuable in guiding the development of planning strategies that align with the One Health principles. Based on the results achieved, such strategies may prioritize the preservation of natural landscape features to mitigate habitat encroachment, protect land and water resources, and attenuate extreme atmospheric conditions

Attempts to manipulate direct fluorescent antibody test for detection of rabies virus antigen in mouse brain

     Direct Fluorescent Antibody (DFA) Test for detection of rabies antigen was carried out with attempts in manipulating the standard protocols based on The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). This study was aimed to achieve improvements of a more rapid detection by conducting modification that could help in reducing the time consume, and costs for obtaining results. The main purpose of this study is to modify the routine protocols for rapid viral detection of rabies virus in tissue. The manipulation that had been practiced was mainly on the fixation procedure with high grade cold acetone, temperature and time of incubation. The working dilution of the fluorescein is thiocyanate (FITC) was (10-1, 10-2, 10-3). Experimental trial on brain samples from 10 rats were obtained and spiked with highest concentration of rabies vaccine for the study. The staining intensity result was analyzed and calculated using T-test. The results indicate a variety of intensity for staining and grading of the fluorescent based of the manipulated protocol conducted