"In Indonesia, there are 26 provinces that still have rabies cases. Only eight are free," the ministry spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, said at the “Strengthening of One Health Collaboration, Free from Rabies by 2030” webinar, which was followed online from here on Wednesday.
In the context of World Rabies Day 2022 commemoration, he emphasized that rabies still poses a threat to human health in Indonesia. The disease, which is also known as mad dog disease, has plagued the community for a long time.
While Syahril did not provide the names of the eight provinces, based on the ministry's data, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, Papua, West Papua, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java have been rabies-free as of September 28, 2020.
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Meanwhile, rabies is still endemic in 26 other provinces in the country.
He said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that rabies handling cannot be solely focused on the disease’s zoonotic side.
It must also cover prevention efforts related to human health, including their living environments, by involving all people, he added.
“It means that rabies cannot be handled from the human health side only, but must also be collaborated with the animal side because this (disease) is a zoonotic disease and there is the environment (involved). For that reason, it is called one health,” he explained.
The spokesperson emphasized that the Ministry of Health cannot work alone without support from the community.
He expressed the hope that with the experience from the COVID-19 pandemic, all parties will be ready to collaborate and coordinate in realizing global rabies elimination by 2030.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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