In The Last 2 Months, 515 South Middle East Residents Of NTT Become Victims Of Rabies Dog Bites

Dog bite illustration (ANTARA)

Head of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Livestock Service Yohana Lisapaly said 515 residents in South Central Timor Regency were bitten by dogs suspected of being exposed to the rabies virus. "The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of NTT received a report from South Central Timor Regency that there have been 515 cases of dog bites that occurred in the last two months," said Head of the NTT Provincial Livestock Service Yohana Lisapaly quoted by ANTARA, Friday, June 23. This is said to be related to the government's efforts in handling the rabies Extraordinary Event (KLB) case in South Central Timor Regency. rabies cases in the district that have occurred since April 22, 2023 have spread to 131 villages in 28 sub-districts with the number of victims being bitten reaching 515 people. According to him, the prevention of very easy and cheap rabies cases to avoid and extend the spread of the rabies virus is to prevent the spread of the rabies virus. He said that the residents' pet dogs should be tied up so they don't wander around and meet with dogs that have been exposed to rabies viruses that could potentially be transmitted quickly. "The NTT Provincial Government hopes that animal owners who can potentially transmit rabies in South Central Timor Regency can anticipate by tying or alerting pets because by being pinned or inserted in cages, then the potential to be infected with rabies is very small," said Yohana Lisapality. If pet animals are grounded, he continued, then it can prevent the risk of biting people, which can endanger the soul. We also hope that residents immediately carry out anti-rabies vaccines against pet animals so that they are not easily infected with the rabies virus, "said Yohana. According to him, the NTT Provincial Government has also asked the South East Government to clearly check 515 cases of dog bites whether the dog is positive for rabies or not.

"It turns out that not all of them are a bite of a dog infected with rabies because the victim has no signs of being infected with rabies, all dog bites have been taken care. As per reports, only four cases of rabies dog bites have been taken," he said. He hopes the dog bite victims are always alert and if they encounter symptoms that lead to rabies dog characteristics, they should be immediately taken to the nearest health facility for medical treatment.