Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, here on Tuesday, expressed his gratitude for the vaccine assistance, as Bali is a priority region for the handling of rabies cases.
"Until now, many parties still prioritize and focus on Bali, considering its status that is not free from rabies yet, which is proven by the disease control efforts that continue to be carried out," he remarked.
So far, the Bali Provincial Government has carried out public education, vaccination, elimination, surveillance, movement, and population control of rabies-transmitting animals.
The 200 thousand doses of rabies vaccine from Australia to Bali is part of the total 400 thousand doses that were granted to Indonesia.
Unfortunately, all those efforts to tackle rabies in Bali Island have not been successful. Even before the vaccine assistance from Australia arrived, the government had allocated 480 thousand doses of rabies vaccine for 2023.
"The rabies vaccination coverage on rabies-transmitting animals in Bali Province, so far, has reached 70 percent and according to the joint commitment, there should be no more fatalities due to rabies by 2024," the deputy governor remarked.
Moreover, the Bali Provincial Government has formed rabies alert teams (Tisira) in hundreds of villages in three districts: 148 villages in Buleleng, 30 villages in Jembrana, and 52 villages in Karangasem.
Tisira is the result of cooperation between the Bali Provincial Government and the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP).
With the additional rabies vaccine stocks in Bali, Sukawati is optimistic that all parties would get the expected result of the community being safe from rabies.
"People should live comfortably, and tourists can enjoy their holidays, so the economy increases," he stated.
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Translator: Muliantari, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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