Bali husbandry agency plans to introduce a new rabies vaccine this month in efforts to control the recent rabies outbreak on the island.
Until now, Bali has been using a short-term rabies vaccine (VAR), which requires a booster dose after four months, agency head IB Ketut Alit said.
"The new VAR is a longer-lasting vaccine that would need a single injection only. This vaccine would still be effective after one year," he said.
"We are still using our stocks of the older vaccines, which will run out in the next few weeks, and then we will begin using the new ones," Alit added.
The older VAR was less effective than the new vaccine, and consumed more time and energy to administer, he said.
"We do not have adequate staff to carry out thorough vaccination programs in the island's eight regencies and municipalities," Alit said.
Bali's rabies vaccination program has been costly, despite targeting to vaccinate a relatively small portion of the island's dog population. Only 35 percent of the dogs that received the initial VAR went on to receive second boosters.
Until October, around 59,000 dogs in Bali had been given VAR shots. The agency also exterminated around 20,000 stray dogs. Bali has an estimated dog population of 500,000.
A number of regencies in Bali including Badung, Denpasar and Tabanan suffered a rabies outbreak recently that claimed dozens of residents.
"Bali still has 50,000 doses of VAR in stock. Some regencies including Karangasem, Buleleng and Klungkung have not initiated rabies vaccination programs," Alit said.
The older, short-term vaccines costs around Rp 5,000 per dose, while the newer ones cost between Rp 26,000 and Rp 30,000.
"I have called on local officials to be on the alert and to launch anti-rabies programs immediately," Alit said.
I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, a virologist at Udayana University's School of Husbandry, said the adoption of the newer VAR type was in line with the recommendations of the university's team of experts.
"This *new VAR* can still be effective after three years," Mahardika said.
According to international standards, the management of rabies outbreaks in human areas must consist of parallel programs including the provision of anti-rabies vaccines (VAR) and anti-rabies serum (SAR). Currently, people infected with the rabies virus in Bali only get VAR shots.
Mahardika said the latest research conducted by Udayana University had analysed the genetic sequence of the rabies virus from the remains of rabies victims in Bali. The study showed that the virus in Bali had originated from Sulawesi and Flores in East Nusa Tenggara.
