PDHI Proposal For The NTT Provincial Government To Lock Down 6 Months Of Eradicating Rabies

Officers administer anti-rabies vaccine injections to residents' pets in NTT (Between-Fransiska Mariana Nuka)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Veterinary Association (PDHI) of NTT proposed that the local provincial government (Pemprov) lock down rabies-infectious animals (HPR) for six months.

"The six months are the best time to prevent the spread of rabies in NTT," said PDHI NTT chairman Yohanes T. R. R. R. Simarmata during a meeting with NTT Governor Melki Laka Lena to discuss efforts to deal with rabies in the local province in Kupang, Wednesday, which was confiscated by Antara.

In his meeting with the governor, PDHI NTT submitted a number of strategic recommendations, one of which was strengthening support for the eradication of rabies, as well as the availability of adequate animal health budgets.

"We appreciate the two-month lockdown for dog animals, because until now NTT has been dominated by rabies cases from dogs through bites," he said.

Not only that, PDHI also highlighted the need for accurate data on rabies cases, as well as vigilance against the potential spread of rabies in tourist areas such as Monkey Caves.

"We hope that the availability of a budget for animal health, in addition to rabies prevention measures through vaccinations and appeals," he added.

NTT Governor Melki Laka Lena emphasized the government's commitment to strengthening public education and preparing real steps to control rabies.

He said his party had issued governor's instructions to all regional heads to implement HPR monitoring starting next September.

He appealed that the series of rabies prevention activities that will be held in September can be collaborated with the ranks of Forkopimda and relevant stakeholders.

"We are serious about realizing rabies-free NTT through concrete steps, cross-sectoral collaboration, and active community participation," said Governor Melki.

He added that from January to August 2025, the bite victims of the dead rabies dog reached 20 people.

Of these, he said, there were 16,939 cases of HPR bites spread across North Central Timor (TTU), Malacca, South Central Timor (TTS), Sikka, Nagekeo, Lembata, and Ngada Regencies.

Melki said the animal's handling was carried out to find out whether an animal was infected or not. "If anyone is infected, in two months it will be caught," said Melki.