R

abies is a familiar word in Indonesia, but despite this familiarity, the truth about the disease remains neglected and underreported both in this country and worldwide. When someone utters the word “rabies” he or she often automatically connects it with carrier animals such as stray dogs, cats or monkeys.

This cardinal understanding is quite useful, most of the time. People stay away from stray dogs on the street because they have basic knowledge that rabies spreads to people through close contact with infected saliva via bites or scratches. A small number of animal aficionados protect their four-legged family members through vaccinations against rabies.

As much as basic information plays an important role, it doesn’t mean it is sufficient in combating this deadly disease.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, rabies is present in more than 150 countries and territories, but more than 95 percent of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa, which is equal to more than 55,000 deaths from rabies each year.

In Indonesia, there are 24 provinces affected by rabies, which means only nine provinces are free from the disease: Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, Papua and West Papua.

There is a special case of rabies in Bali, where rabies was first reported in November 2008. At least 100 people have died of rabies in the past four years. The province lifted the health alert status only at the beginning of this year after an intensive program of mass vaccinations and specific culls of domestic dogs were in place.

In connection with World Rabies Day, which falls on Oct. 9, there is one crucial question that needs to be addressed: How do we deal with this problematic disease effectively?

I strongly believe there is only one logical option: prevention. It is always easier said than done. Therefore it takes a strong commitment from all parts of community and stakeholders to reach the goal, in particular because rabies is often considered less important compared to other major health problems facing the country.

There are two kinds of prevention we can make use of. First and foremost is to eliminate rabies in dogs and second is through immunizing people. Because rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, vaccination has always been seen as the most logical and cost-effective strategy to eliminate the disease in humans. This has been proven effective in Bali after health agency officials conducted mass vaccinations to more than half of canine population.

One special highlight behind the success story of Bali’s bid to curb rabies cases is the effort to integrate various parts of the community to work together against the disease.

It takes not just health officials, but also community members, including local police and army members, to control the spread of rabies on the island.

This clearly shows that local government alone is inadequate in combating this deadly disease. It takes all segments of society to carry out and execute this Herculean task. One option is to engage community and religious leaders in tackling this problem. This is why this theme has been chosen for this year’s World Rabies Day commemoration.

We need to actively engage community and religious leaders to persuade members of the community to protect their families against rabies through vaccination. Community and religious leaders have a long history of involvement and success in persuading communities in Indonesia, for example in the case of birth control.

The establishment of the government-sanctioned National Committee on Zoonosis Control (KNPZ) is a testament to the government’s commitment to contain the spread of the preventable but fatal disease. However, the committee will be ineffective unless regional administrations share the commitment to battle the disease, especially nowadays when the KNPZ does not have regional chapters across the country.

Closely assisted by the KNPZ, the regional administration should form a rabies task force that reaches the community level because only communities know every nook and cranny of their own territories. The committee will not stop working until rabies is defeated.

Guidelines and supervisions are supplied by the KNPZ, while local governments carry out daily responsibilities through local rabies centers. This means agencies in each province will provide manpower (including vets, communication officers) and free vaccines for carrier animals prone to rabies within their own regions. Provincial level task forces will also engage local community and religious leaders in battling rabies through various strategies stemming from local wisdom. Each year, the national task force should publicize which provinces fail and why.

Of course, there is always a hawkish approach to this: copying China’s one dog policy. Under the policy introduced in 2006 in an attempt to curb rabies, millions of families only allowed one canine pet. People should also pay license fees to own their dogs. The failure to meet this requirement should result in a penalty.

But then again, each option has its own consequences. We should always opt for better, suitable as well as religiously and culturally-friendly strategies. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it can only be reached through hard work and strong commitment from all community members.