Kuching South City Council mayor Wee Hong Seng said the victims were aged between 11 and 81.

He said he was “disturbed and distressed” by what happened.

According to DayakDaily, Wee said there was a separate incident where a pet dog with rabies bit its owner.

He said the victims have to go through the excruciating experience of undergoing treatment and waiting for months to see if it had been effective in curbing the disease.

“I am sending my thoughts and best wishes to the families of the 12 people bitten by the rabid dogs and hoping they will have a full recovery,” he said.

Wee said the majority of deaths caused by rabies so far were due to the victims’ failure to report being bitten by dogs.

He urged the public to seek treatment immediately if they were bitten by dogs or cats, even if they are their own pets.

Sarawak has reported 73 cases involving humans since the outbreak of rabies was declared in July 2017, with 66 people dead.

In 2023, 16 people died from the disease, a slight increase compared to the 14 recorded the year before.

Currently, 11 hospitals in Sarawak offer rabies immunoglobulin jabs for high-risk cases.