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Rabies in Maluku Tenggara Barat District Claims 19 Lives
Ambon: At least 19 citizens in Larat, Tanimbar Utara subdistrict, Maluku Tenggara Barat district, had died due to rabies. Around 357 others have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs in 2010 so far.
“Victims are mostly Larat citizens. They died because medical treatment was late,” said Head of the Communicable Disease Eradication Division of the Health Service Office of Maluku Tenggara Barat, dr. Theo Resiloy on Tuesday (24/8).
From hundreds of citizens bitten by suspected rabid dogs, some were submitted to dr. M. Haulussy Regional Hospital in Ambon to receive medical treatment because local vaccine stock has run out. A team from the Ministry of Health has visited the site and declared Rabies outbreak in Maluku Tenggara Barat.
The Health Service Office has tried various efforts to eliminate dogs in the area, but faced challenges because people were hiding their dogs. “When officers came over, people did not want their dogs to be killed and hid the dogs in the forest,” Theo said.
According to Theo, rabies in Tanimbar Utara subdistrict started from an old lady who brought in a Pekingese dog from Ambon city in December 2009. The dog then spread the virus to other dogs through bite wounds and finally the disease was transmitted to human.
At first the local people, who very much believe in mystics, did not believe that people were dying because of rabies. (Ant/OL-5)
Source : Media Indonesia [edited]