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Dogs in Bali will be Prohibited to Wander Outdoors to Prevent Rabies
Jakarta - The Ministry of Health (MoH) plans to issue a regulation that prohibits dogs from wandering outdoors in Bali prevent further spread of Rabies in the island.
“We will issue a regulation so dogs will not wander outdoors. Now we are educating people to cage their dogs and not let them free,” said Zoonosis Disease Control (P2B2) Director of the Ministry of Health, Rita Kusriastuti, in Jakarta.
There is an estimate of 500,000 feral dogs in Bali. In 2010 alone rabies has caused the death of 53 human victims.
“This is our lowest estimate. Some also say there are up to 800,000 dogs in Bali,” said Rita.
Rabies outbreak in Bali started in November 2008 in Badung district. Now it has spread to 9 districts/municipalities: Badung, Denpasar city, Tabanan, Karangasem, Gianyar, Bangli, Buleleng, Klungkung, and Jembrana.
Until August 9, 2010, there have been 53,412 rabies host animal bite cases with 83 human deaths; 4 cases in 2008 and 26 cases in 2009.
Vaccination has also been conducted on dogs in Bali and is targeted to finish on September 28, 2010, which is also the World Rabies Day.
Currently 72 percent or 360,000 dogs have been given rabies vaccine. The rest will be vaccinated within this year.
Since 2008, the MoH, with aids from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries such as Australia, has sent post-exposure rabies treatments to Bali.
A total of 43 Rabies Centers have also been established in rabies-infected areas in Bali. The center provides initial treatment for dog bite victims with Sanglah General Hospital acting as center for rabies management.
The MoH targets Bali free from rabies in 2012, while Indonesia free from rabies cases in human and animals in 2015. (T.A043/P003)
Source : Antara