Three local residents at a village in Klungkung regency were bitten by a rabies-infected dog, prompting the local animal health agency to carry out efforts to curb the issue.
“After we investigated further, we found that they were bitten by the same dog. The dog is positively rabies-infected,” said Anak Agung Raka Arnawa, who heads the local chapter of the Animal Health Department, as quoted by Bali Post.
Arnawa added that the dog in question has been found and medically examined, in an effort to find out more about its health. Furthermore, he said a team has been dispatched to find and examine other dogs surrounding Dawan Kelod Village in Klungkung regency.
Arnawa said his team will follow this up with a mass vaccination for the local dogs, while the local health agency will also provide vaccines for family members of those who had been bitten.
On Tuesday, three residents from Klungkung regency’s Akah Village had also been bitten by a rabies-infected dog, as reported by Tribun-Bali.
Whereas on Sunday, a 22-year-old man from Paksebali Village – also in Klungkung – died on Sunday after being bitten by a rabies-infected dog three months ago. His was reportedly the first death from rabies in three years in Bali.
Rabies has long been a persistent problem on the Island of the Gods. According to a Bali Post report in March of this year, 105 villages in Bali still report cases of rabies.
Earlier this year, the provincial government announced its plans to realize a rabies-free Bali before 2020, as reported by Media Indonesia.
