Bali rabies vaccination activities need Rp 5.7 b
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali | Sun, 02/20/2011 6:02 PM
Vaccination activities for preventing rabies in Bali require funding of at least Rp 5.7 billion every four months to, an NGO says.
The Bali Animal Welfare (BAWA), a non-profit organization providing rabies vaccinations to thousands of dogs on the island, said that it has yet to secure funding for a planned second phase of vaccinations.
“We are hoping to secure funding from the government,” BAWA director Janice Girardi said in Denpasar on Sunday, as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.
She said the funding was needed for vaccine stocks and operational costs.
BAWA, together with World Animal Society Protection, is currently conducting the first phase of vaccinations. Initially starting with six teams, BAWA now has 45 vaccination teams with 320 workers. BAWA aims to provide vaccinations for 70 percent (about 210,000) of dogs in Bali by March 2011.
“We hope by that time we will have 50 teams with 400 workers ready for the second phase,” Janice said, adding that a third phase will also be needed.
Rabies killed 118 people in Bali last year. Most victims did not seek immediate help after being bitten by dogs.
