Rabies crisis in Bali

In the past two years, at least 1 out of every 100 Balinese was bitten by a potentially rabid dog.  In that time, dozens of Balinese have died of rabies.  Bali -- an island crawling with stray dogs -- is suffering a massive rabies epidemic.

What should be done?  Interestingly, according to the WHO, Malaysia is a country that is considered an exemplar in eliminating the disease:
The most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people is by eliminating rabies in dogs through animal vaccinations. A lack of awareness of the effectiveness and feasibility of this prevention approach hinders elimination of human cases. As shown in several countries - such as Japan and Malaysia - elimination of rabies in dogs can result in elimination of transmissions to people and other animals. Preventing human rabies through control of domestic dog rabies is a realistic goal for large parts of Africa and Asia. 
More about the extent of the rabies crisis in Bali, and how people can protect themselves, here.

2 comments:

Shane McRae said...

As soon as the Indonesian government realizes that killing dogs with painful strychnine poisoning will not stop the rabies and starts a robust campaign to vaccinate 70% of the Bali dogs the rabies epidemic will end. The World Health Organization states that vaccination of 70% of dogs is the only solution and that killing dogs has never worked anywhere in the world.

Jotman said...

Shane,

Any idea why they elect to kill them? Is it that strychnine is much less expensive than a vaccine?

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