The Indonesian government aims for the country to be, in line with the 'ASEAN Rabies-Free' goal and earlier than the global goal of the World Health Organisation's goal of ''
But,as reported by , there 628 people were infected with rabies in Indonesia from January to February of this year, with at least 12 cases turning fatal.
What makes the situation even more worrying is that the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province - one of nine provinces that previously had been declared rabies-free, and a popular surf spot - has had a high number of recent rabies cases.
“This happened because the population of stray dogs increased and there is no proper control [for rabies],” the health ministry's disease control and prevention director general, Anung Sugihantono. “This issue must be dealt with by the Agriculture Ministry.”
In a report from the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2016, it was stated that nine regions were free from rabies - namely Papua, West Papua, Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and Jakarta.
The head of the Animal Husbandry and Health agency of NTB, Budi Septiani, told on Sunday that the rabies outbreak had attacked Dompu district in NTB since a month ago, and had spread to Sumbawa district.
It was reported that the Ministry had sent 9,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine (VAR) to deal with the outbreak on Sumbawa Island.
Sumbawa is a large island in the east of Bali and Lombok, which together with Lombok is part of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) region. With its waves and white sand beaches, the island is a haven for surfers.
Rabies is transmitted from animals to humans and is caused by the rabies virus. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) visiting Indonesia that post-exposure rabies treatment in Indonesia may be limited, and therefore bite victims may have to return to Australia or travel to a third country for immediate treatment.
"Avoid direct contact with dogs and other animals, including monkeys and bats," reads the DFAT warning. "Don't feed or pat them. This includes monkeys in popular markets, tourist destinations and sanctuaries where you may be encouraged to interact with them."
