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Vaccination, curbing strays key for rabies control, ministry says
One of 1,000 people bitten by rabid animals in the country died from rabies in 2023, according to the Health Ministry's record, with most fatalities recorded in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
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Veterinarians check on the condition of cats and dogs after undergoing free neutering in Denpasar, Bali, held by the Bali provincial administration on Sept. 29, to commemorate World Rabies Day. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
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accinating pets and controlling stray animal populations are crucial to curb rising rabies cases in Indonesia, the Health Ministry has said, especially to achieve the country’s target to eliminate the zoonotic disease by 2030.
The majority of rabies cases and fatalities in the country were caused by dog bites, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi.
“Many people who have hunting dogs let their animals roam freely and eat whatever they want, exposing the dogs to a significantly higher risk of transmitting rabies to other dogs and humans,” she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
She added that such risks made vaccination for dogs and the reduction of stray populations important in curbing the spread of the disease.
Declared endemic in 26 provinces, rabies is a zoonotic viral disease affecting the central nervous system. Rabies in humans has one of the highest fatality rates among other diseases, with nearly 90 percent of patients dying once symptoms appear.
The fatal condition is preventable by administering antirabies vaccine after infection but before symptoms occur.
Read also: Bali scales up rabies vaccination for dogs
