Landak Regency Government, West Kalimantan, is intensifying vaccination and outreach to control rabies.
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By
EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA
·3 minutes read
PONTIANAK, KOMPAS – Landak Regency in West Kalimantan is the area with the most deaths due to rabies in at least the last four months. Hundreds of vials of anti-rabies vaccine were distributed to minimize this risk.
During January-April 2024, there were 1,561 recorded cases of rabies transmission via animal bites in West Kalimantan. Of these, 1,414 cases were managed and received anti-rabies vaccinations.
However, there are still four people who have died in the last four months. Three individuals are residents of Landak District and another death occurred in Mempawah District.
Acting Regent of Landak, Samuel, stated on Wednesday (8/5/2024) that they have been trying to control rabies. One of the efforts is by intensifying rabies vaccination. He mentioned that an additional 650 vials of anti-rabies vaccine (VAR) have been sent to several community health centers.
"I have assigned the district heads and village chiefs to regulate animals that transmit rabies. If they refuse to be vaccinated, the animals will be destroyed," said Samuel.
Socialization and education for the community regarding the danger of rabies are also being carried out. Residents are provided with a lot of knowledge about handling bites from animals that spread rabies.
DEONISIA ARLINTA
Rabies cases in Indonesia
Data from the West Kalimantan Health Service states that VAR supplies reached 5,267 vials. A total of 3,717 vials have been distributed to a number of areas.
Head of the West Kalimantan Health Office, Erna Yulianti, reminded the public to immediately report cases of dog, cat, or monkey bites to village officials and health centers. In many cases, rabies patients only receive medical treatment when their condition has become critical.
The clinical symptoms of rabies exposure in humans are generally fever and complaints of nausea, burning pain in the bitten area, and sore throat. If it enters the critical phase, the patient usually becomes afraid of sunlight and water and excessively drools.
All regional policy makers must actively educate residents about the importance of vaccination and other rabies prevention,
.
Rabies has been a concern for a long time because it is prone to causing death. Based on Kompas's records, England in the early 1900s and Japan in 1952 managed to be free from rabies through the elimination of dogs roaming the streets. After being released, England implemented a six-month quarantine for dogs and cats entering the country.
After the discovery of cell culture-based rabies vaccines and serological tests for immune detection, the requirements for entering dogs and cats were changed. The pet must have protective antibodies. Through this new method, England remains free from rabies to this day.
So far, Indonesia has succeeded in freeing East Java, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta and DKI Jakarta from rabies through vaccination.
