As Many As 10 Thousand Animals Become Rabies Vaccine Targets In South Jakarta

Health workers injected rabies vaccine into a cat at RPTRA Flamboyan, Jakarta, Tuesday (6/2/2024). (Between/Bayu Pratama)

JAKARTA - The South Jakarta Food, Maritime and Agriculture Security Sub-dept. targets as many as 10 thousand rabies-contagious animals to receive rabies vaccine injections by 2024.

"Until now, only 541 infectious animals have received rabies vaccines," said Head of the Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Section of the South Jakarta Food, Maritime and Pertania (KPKP Sub-dept) Sub-dept. Hary Atharini when contacted by Antara in Jakarta, Sunday.

According to him, rabies vaccination is given to prevent transmission of the disease to people who often interact with animals.

The South Jakarta KPKP (Jaksel) Sub-Department is targeting to inject rabies vaccine for 10 thousand infectious animals in the region.

He said that this year's rabies vaccination target increased when compared to 2023, although the number was not too significant.

"In 2023, the number of animals vaccinated was 10,256 or 105.5 percent of the target of 9,724," he said.

Ira added that this rabies vaccination is intended for rabies-infectious animals such as cats, dogs, monkeys and pet civets.

"The condition for being vaccinated is that the animal is at least four months old, in good health, not pregnant and not breastfeeding," he said.

Previously, the Head of the DKI Jakarta KPKP Agency, Suharini Eliawati, said that Jakarta had been declared a rabies-free area since 2004 as stated in the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture Number 556/Kpts/PD.640/10/2004 concerning the Statement of the Province of DKI Jakarta Free Rabies.

Even so, Suharini reminded that the area around DKI is no longer free of rabies so the risk will increase if Jakarta does not carry out a strategy to maintain its rabies-free status.