Mass rabies vaccinations on animals held

Indah Setiawati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 12/22/2008 11:07 AM  |  Bali

Baiqi Wana Sari, a resident of Tuban, Badung, patiently held her cat, snuggled inside her black backpack, some 15 meters away from three big dogs being injected with an anti-rabies vaccine in Pesalakan community hall on Saturday morning.

"I have five cats that sometimes go out from our house and I am afraid they might get bitten by dogs infected with rabies. I am very glad they are offering the service for free because it would cost me Rp 100,000 (US$9) for each cat to get vaccinated by a veterinarian," she said, adding that she would bring her four other cats in later in that afternoon.

A total of 47 dogs and nine cats were injected with the rabies vaccine during a vaccination drive in Pesalakan. After being injected with the vaccine, each animal received a special collar tag that will be used by officials to identify vaccinated animals from the un-vaccinated ones.

The mass vaccination was held at 72 locations in Kuta and South Kuta districts over the weekend to curb the spread of the rabies virus. It was organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Badung and Bali Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Marine Agencies, the Agriculture Ministry, the Association of Private Veterinarians, Denpasar's Main Veterinary Body (BBVet), and NGOs working on dogs' welfare.

Made Badra, head of the Badung Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Marine Agency said he estimated that around 85 percent of the total population of dogs had been vaccinated.

He said that out of some 3,500 dogs in South Kuta and Kuta districts, 868 were vaccinated on Saturday and 392 were vaccinated on Sunday. As many as 1,781 dogs had been vaccinated on the previous vaccination drive. Counting 332 dogs that were culled, Badra estimated the number of un-vaccinated dogs in the two districts had been reduced to around 150.

"If residents still have un-vaccinated dogs, they can report to their village chief who will then contact us so we can come to their location," he said, adding that the agency would hold more vaccinations in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak sub-districts on Tuesday.

He said the agency still had a large supply of vaccines, because, during the peak of the rabies scare, the agency procured enough vaccines for 20,000 dogs.

As many as four people reportedly died in Ungasan village, Uluwatu, after being bitten by stray dogs. The suspicion that the dogs might have been infected with rabies forced the local administration to declare a condition of extraordinary occurrence, a bureaucratic euphemism for "epidemic outbreak".

One brain sample taken from a dog in Kedonganan, South Kuta, tested positive for a rabies, which hadn't been seen on the island for decades.

Dewa Dharma, a veterinarian from Denpasar's BBVet, asked pet owners to closely monitor their cat, dog or monkey's behavior. He urged people to immediately report to the relevant agency if their pets showed symptoms of rabies infection.

"Please immediately wash the bite wounds with soap or detergent and rinse them under a continuous stream of water because such action could destroy the fat that protects the virus. People who get bitten by these animals can get free vaccinations from the Ungasan and Jimbaran community health center," he said.

He reminded the free of charge vaccination would only be available for those who had been bitten by the animals. Others can get the vaccination for Rp 600,000 at private clinics.

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