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Rabid Dogs Bite 44 People in Banten Province
Pandeglang - A total of 44 citizens in Sumur subdistrict, Pandeglang district, Banten Province have been bitten by rabid dogs.
Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Service Office of Pandeglang, Muksin Adul, on Tuesday (1/2/2011) said since September 2011, rabid dogs have bitten 44 people in Sumur subdistrict.
“There were 3 dogs in total and all have been killed by locals. We have sent the brain to the Veterinary Disease Investigation Center in Subang, West Java, and all were positive for rabies,” he said. To prevent similar incidences from happening again, the office have conducted elimination and vaccination of rabies host animals [dog].
The program was conducted in all villages in Sumur subdistrict and other subdistricts adjacent to Sumur, such as Cibaliung, Cibitung, Cigeulis, and Cimanggu.
“We have eliminated and vaccinated approximately 1,500 dogs. We hope it will be enough to break the transmission chain of the disease,” Muksin said.
“We have also conducted public awareness activities to prevent it from happening again,” he said.
Citizens bitten by the rabid dogs have received treatment from the local Health Service Office and are in good health. “As soon as they were bitten by the dogs, vaccination was immediately given by officers from the Health Service Office and as result everybody is still healthy,” said Muksin. He also explained that to prevent rabies from spreading to other regions, the district government of Pandeglang has closed the borders against movement of rabies host animals.
“All host animals for this disease, such as dogs, cats, and monkeys, are prohibited from leaving or entering Pandeglang. This is also part of the effort to stop disease transmission,” he said. (ANT/Editor: Benny N Joewono)
Source : Kompas