73 Rabies Cases Reported To Have Occurred In Sukabumi, Most Of Them Are Infected From Outside The Region

Dog bite illustration (ANTARA)

SUKABUMI - Sukabumi City Health Office (Dinkes), West Java, handled 73 cases of rabies-infectious animal bites from January to June 2023.

"Of the 73 patients treated, 40 of them came from outside Sukabumi City, while the rest or as many as 33 patients from Sukabumi City," said Head of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) Sukabumi City Health Office Wita Darmawanti, quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, July 30.

According to Wita, the results of a medical report from the hospital that handles rabies-infected animal bites have not been found to be positive for rabies virus. The majority of the patients have recovered, but are asked to routinely seek treatment to ensure their bodies are not infected with the virus that could cause this death.

"A total of 73 cases of rabies-contagious animal bites from January to June were divided into January, there were 13 patients, February five patients, March four patients, April 15 patients, May seven patients, and June 29 patients. All of these patients have been given medical treatment and received rabies immunoglobulin.

He explained the high number of cases of residents who were infected with rabies who were handled in Sukabumi City because hospitals in Sukabumi City such as R Syamsudin SH Hospital were referral hospitals for neighboring areas, such as Sukabumi and Cianjur Regencies.

"In June, the number of cases of residents who were bitten by rabies-infectious animals was quite high, as many as 29 cases. However, from the medical examination, none of the patients who tested positive contracted rabies or died," he said.

Wita said the majority of patients who were bitten by rabies-infectious animals came from dog bites, although there were several cases of being bitten by cats, monkeys, and dwarfs.

In handling this case, his party also coordinated with the Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Sector of the Sukabumi City Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Security Service (DKP3).

The Sukabumi City Health Office is tasked with providing pre-main health facilities and referral health facilities, while the Sukabumi City DKP3 is more about handling the animals.

He appealed to residents, especially those who own or raise rabies-contagious animals, to routinely check the health of their animals and provide anti-rabies vaccines.