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109 People Bit by Suspected Rabid Dogs in Bengkulu
Bengkulu : A total of 109 citizens in 8 subdistricts in Bengkulu city have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs since January to October 2010. From January to April there were 32 cases and in October 2010 there were at least 77 bite cases.
This condition was reported from 19 community health centers in the city to the Health Service Office of Bengkulu city. No human lives have fallen and are patients are still being handled intensively by local community health centers and hospitals.
Head of the Environmental Health and Disease Eradication Division of the Health Service Office of Bengkulu city, Karimel Sinambela, on Thursday (25/11) said “The stray dog population in Bengkulu city is quite high and very concerning because they can suddenly just attack people and are hard to trace.” The main cause of stray dog proliferation is because people still breed the animal to guard their house and fields.
Efforts from the Health Service Office of Bengkulu city in managing this disease is only through prevention and protecting citizens that have been bitten by dogs. In all cases, the Health Service Office will give rabies vaccination to the victim to prevent the virus from spreading in the body. Late treatment will cause devastating effects, because once the virus has spread in the body, it will attack the brain and result in death.
Meanwhile, Head of the Animal Health Division of the Livestock Service Office of Bengkulu Province, Fariasna Bahar, said eliminating 30% of the stray dog population is difficult because of budget limitations. “From 135,000 stray dogs in 10 districts/municipalities, 70% will be vaccinated and the remaining 30% will be eliminated or culled,” said Fariasna. The Livestock Service Office has a stock of 40,000 doses of rabies vaccine from the national budget spending. Meanwhile from the regional budget there are 12,000 doses of vaccine plus aid from districts/municipalities. (Marliansyah)
Sumber : Media Indonesia