Australia Provides Vaccines to Support Rabies Response in Bali

Australian Consul-General, Anthea Griffin, has officially handed over 400,000 doses of dog rabies vaccines.

IDXChannel - Australian Consul-General, Anthea Griffin, has officially handed over 400,000 doses of dog rabies vaccines from the Australian Government to the Indonesian Government in Denpasar, Bali.

“Australia is proud to support Indonesia’s rabies response, which is targeting immediate rabies outbreaks,” said Consul-General Anthea Griffin in a media release on Tuesday (15/8/2023).

“I congratulate the local health services for their excellent work coordinating the emergency response. The vaccination of dogs saves human lives, and community participation is vital in controlling canine rabies everywhere," the diplomat added.

Of the 400,000 vaccine doses, 200,000 doses are being rolled-out in Bali, with another 200,000 being used to combat the emergency rabies outbreak in West Timor, where administration of vaccines commenced on 20 July.

Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Mark Schipp, said Australia’s work with Indonesia on rabies not only supports a friend and neighbour, but also helps stop the spread of rabies in the region.

“Over 99 per cent of human rabies cases are caused by bites or scratches from infected dogs. Rabies is 100% preventable through regular vaccination of dogs, preventing the transmission to humans—especially children who account for over 40 per cent of rabies deaths,” Dr Schipp said.

Australia is partnering with the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the bilateral Australia Indonesia Health Security Partnership to support the Government of Indonesia’s response to control rabies. Australia’s gifted vaccines furthers its support for rabies containment in the region, and its commitment to the global eradication of the disease by 2030.  

The Director of Animal Health at the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Nuryani Zainuddin, said Indonesia’s health authorities should be commended. 

“Our animal health authorities coordinated efforts using Indonesia’s vaccine supplies to vaccinate over 89,000 dogs in 7 weeks in the Bali and West Timor outbreak areas,” she said. 

“The close partnership with Australia on animal health has bolstered Indonesia’s coordinated efforts to control the disease and prevent rabies from spreading," she added.
(WHY)