Bali Provincial Government Ensures Enough Rabies Vaccine

Head of the Bali Province Agriculture and Food Security Service I Wayan Sunada in Denpasar, Monday (3/7/2023). ANTARA/Ni Luh Rhismawati.

DENPASAR - Bali Provincial Government ensures that rabies vaccines that can be injected into rabies-infectious animals in this province are available in sufficient quantities.

"There are 120 thousand doses of rabies vaccine as buffer stock in the province. Later, when each district/city has run out of vaccines, we will distribute them again," said Head of the Bali Province Agriculture and Food Security Service I Wayan Sunada in Denpasar as reported by ANTARA, Monday, July 3.

According to him, of the 120 thousand doses of the available rabies vaccine, 100 thousand doses of which are assistance from the Australian Government which was only received on July 1, 2023.

In the near future, said Sunada, there will also be 350 thousand doses of rabies vaccine assistance from the central government.

"So, people don't worry because the rabies vaccine is available in sufficient quantities," he said.

Sunada said the stock of rabies vaccines in large quantities was stored in the provincial government because in districts/cities there were no cooling equipment with large capacities.

"If the vaccine is not cooled, it will be damaged quickly. Therefore, we store it in large quantities of provinces. So, when the vaccine in the district has run out, we just need to take it in the province," he said.

According to him, of the predicted 599 thousand dog population in Bali, 51 percent have received rabies vaccinations.

He noted that from January 2023 to date, the total dog bites in Bali reached 19,000 bite. However, of the number of bites infected with rabies, there were 285 cases.

Meanwhile, there were four people who died from rabies in Bali in January 2023, namely two people in Jembrana Regency, one person in Badung, and one person in Buleleng.

"We ask residents to keep dogs in chains or tied up so that they are safe from the transmission of rabies disease carried by stray dogs," he said.

In addition, also by carrying out rabies vaccinations on dogs regularly every year. "If this year we have been vaccinated, next year we will be vaccinated again," said Sunada.