BNPB chief Suharyanto said his agency and the NTT provincial government will ramp up vaccination efforts for animals susceptible to rabies.
"With increased vaccinations, I am confident East Nusa Tenggara will be rabies-free by December," he stated in a statement received here on Friday.
According to the agency, 312,527 anti-rabies vaccine doses have been administered to 485,947 susceptible animals. However, 167,420 animals still need vaccination, with a focus on vaccinating 27,660 to achieve herd immunity of at least 70 percent.
Suharyanto urged local governments and communities to prioritize vaccinating the remaining target animals to stop rabies transmission.
The BNPB assured that rabies alert teams will continue monitoring vaccination progress despite a significant decline in rabies cases this year compared to 2023.
Earlier, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture reported 1,823 cases of people bitten by rabid animals in South and North Timor Timur districts in 2023, resulting in 11 deaths.
Dog vaccinations in the province are carried out by a joint team of veterinary personnel and officers from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the military, and the police.
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Translator: Prasetyo, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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