MAUMERE, KOMPAS – A rabies epidemic is gripping Sikka regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as latest reports show that 750 locals have contracted the virus between January and July this year, after they were bitten by rabid dogs. Of these, four have died due to delayed medical treatment.
The latest case involved Euprasia L Glelo, 5, of Baumekot village, Hewokloang district. Euprasia was reportedly bitten in May but was only taken to hospital last week. Euprasia died at TC Hillers Regional General Hospital in Maumere on Saturday.
Rabies first emerged in Flores-Lembata in 1997 and it has killed 321 people up to last year.
Sikka Agriculture, Plantation and Farming Agency head Hengky Sali cited a minimal vaccine stock as a major cause. The regency obtained 21,000 doses of the vaccine from the NTT farming agency and, currently, only 13,000 doses have been used.
“The rabies virus has spread across Flores-Lembata. Comprehensive and effective measures are needed to tackle it,” Hengky said, adding that he had proposed simultaneous vaccinations for the entire dog population in Flores-Lembata in coordination with the NTT farming agency.
Vaccination, as the main prerequisite for eradicating the virus, is not taken seriously and is not done on a continuous basis. Lack of funding that leads to a minimum vaccine stock is cited as a major factor.
“In Sikka, with a population of 54,000 dogs, only 36,000 doses will be procured this year. Of that, only 21,000 have been obtained,” the NTT farming agency’s veterinary public and animal health division head, Yosef Dandut, said in Kupang on Monday.
Apart from Sikka, rabies eradication is also needed in eight other regencies on Flores and Lembata islands. The region has a population of 350,000 dogs and, thus far, only 250,000 doses have been allocated.
“Rabies management should be comprehensive and continuous. Only this can totally eradicate the virus,” Yosef said.
Rabies in Bali
In Bali, despite various efforts, rabies cases are still cropping up. There were 105 cases between January and August this year. Last year, 92 cases were reported. Bali Farming and Animal Health Agency head I Putu Sumantra said rabies first emerged on the island in 2008. Mass vaccinations, the culling of dogs and public campaigns for dog owners to vaccinate their pets have been conducted regularly.
Some 550,000 dogs are targeted for vaccination this year, of which 363,000 have been vaccinated. “We have vaccination teams. However, there are many wild dogs and pets whose owners refuse to vaccinate them and this makes our work difficult,” Sumantra said.
Bali health agency head Ketut Suarjaya said 173 people have died of rabies between 2008 and August this year, including three fatalities in the last eight months. “We have an annual budget for anti-rabies vaccines and serums,” he said.
One Health and Zoonosis Control national technical advisor Andri Jatikusumah at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (FAO ECTAD) said mass vaccinations remained the most effective intervention against rabies.
However, mass vaccinations require a number of prerequisites to become a success.
Vaccinations should cover at least 70 percent of the estimated population of infected animals, especially dogs. This minimum coverage should encompass all regional levels, including villages, sub-districts, districts and regencies. “As vaccination involves a huge effort, strong commitment from various levels of the government is necessary,” Andri said.
Many requirements are needed to fulfill minimum coverage, including good quality vaccines, proper vaccinations and a proper estimation of infected animals. Vaccinations must also be done quickly as the population dynamics of infectious animals change rapidly.
From 2013 to 2016, FAO ECTAD worked with World Animal Protection (WAP) and the Agriculture Ministry in a rabies control project on Flores and Lembata islands in NTT. At the time, more than 400,000 dogs in 1,300 villages were vaccinated. Some 300 animal health officers were trained in rabies control.
The ministry’s animal health director, I Ketut Diarmita, said a commitment from all stakeholders was needed to control rabies. Vaccination is the main priority, followed by other strategies in the form of integrated bite case management that enables bite victim management and animal management through emergency vaccinations and the culling of suspected animals.
(SEM/COK/ADH)
