Marak Cases Of Varying Rabies, Bengkulu Provincial Government Proposed 30,000 Doses Of Vaccine To The Center

Cat-type animals that will receive rabies vaccines. (ANTARA)

BENGKULU - The Animal Husbandry and Health Service of Bengkulu Province has proposed a request for rabies vaccine assistance to the central government as many as 30,000 doses. The case of rabies-infecting animal bites in Bengkulu in 2022 reached 1,391 cases. Head of the Bengkulu Province Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Service M. Syarkawi said that the rabies vaccine is predicted to come in April. "We have proposed a request for rabies assistance to the central government to assist in the implementation of rabies vaccination," Syarkawi was quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 23. The request for the vaccine assistance was made because the availability of anti-rabies vaccines for rabies-infectious (HPR) animals in Bengkulu was minimal, because the provincial government only budgeted 9,500 doses of vaccine., he said. Of the 9,500 doses, Syarkawi explained, as many as 4,500 doses of the State Revenue Budget (APBN) and 5,000 doses of APBD funds. He said, until now there are three regions that have independently procured rabies vaccines, namely Rejang Lebong Regency as many as 1,500 doses, North Bengkulu Regency and Bengkulu City each amounted to 1,000 doses.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Bengkulu Provincial Health Office, there were 122 cases of rabies-infecting animal bites as of January 2023, with 18 other animals being observed. Meanwhile, throughout 2022, the number of cases of rabies-infecting animal bites in Bengkulu reached 1,391 cases.