Bali ramps up rabies response after rabid dog attacks 15 climbers

The aggressive dog was captured and euthanized by local authorities and subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed that the animal was infected with the rabies virus.

In response, the Tabanan Agriculture Agency launched an emergency vaccination campaign targeting all rabies-prone animals in the Pujungan village to contain the potential spread of the virus to the surrounding animal population.

Read also: Government warns of rabies, as rabid dog bite cases on the rise

Gede Eka Partha Ariana, head of the agency’s Livestock and Animal Health Division, said that approximately 500 dogs, both stray and domestic, have been vaccinated during the initiative.

“At least nine stray dogs around the area have also been rescued and brought to an animal shelter by a team from a local non-governmental organization [NGO] working in collaboration with our agency,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He explained that evacuating stray dogs to shelters was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus to other wildlife, such as monkeys, which are commonly found around Mt. Batukaru.

Partha has also urged climbers to avoid feeding stray dogs along the hiking trails, noting that this behavior has contributed to an increase in the stray dog population in the area.

“Many climbers have also left food behind along the trails, which has attracted more dogs and led to a rise in their numbers on the mountain,” he said.

Partha added that the agency will continue to closely monitor Pujungan village in the coming months to prevent a rise in rabies infections among the local dog population.

He also stated that following the vaccination campaign in Pujungan, the agency will conduct another round of rabies vaccinations in surrounding areas to anticipate and prevent potential new cases.

Head of the Tabanan Health Agency, Surya Wira Andi, confirmed that all climbers bitten by the rabies-infected dog have received the rabies vaccine.

“Most of the victims were bitten on the feet. All of them have received the necessary vaccination, and they will complete the full three-dose regimen within a month,” he said, adding that authorities currently have an adequate stock of rabies vaccines in Tabanan.

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable zoonotic viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms appear, with a near 100 percent mortality rate. However, death can be prevented if anti-rabies vaccine or serum is administered promptly after exposure and before symptoms develop.

The disease infects a wide range of mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), dogs are responsible for up to 99 percent of human rabies cases.

Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, typically via bites, scratches or direct contact with mucous membranes such as the eyes, mouth or open wounds.

The symptoms of a rabies infection among humans includes a fever, headache, insomnia and muscle aches. In the later stages of a rabies infection, patients will start experiencing hydrophobia and photophobia, the fear of water and light, respectively, before they succumb to death.

Read also: Bali closely monitors flights from China, Malaysia amid HMPV outbreak

Bali is among the regions in Indonesia with a high incidence of rabies, reporting an average of 183 animal bites from potential rabies carriers each day.

In the first six months of this year, Bali recorded 34,854 attacks by rabies vector species and 12 human deaths caused by rabies, according to the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD). (nal)