Indonesia Tighten Up Rabies Control in Sumbawa Ahead of MXGP in June
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14 April 2022 22:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Sumbawa Besar - Indonesia started to intensify a series of activities on Rabies control in Sumbawa, in view of the upcoming International MotoCross Grand Prix (MXGP) in Samota area, Sumbawa, in June. The activities included mass dog vaccination, training on Integrated Bite Case Management (Tata Laksana Kasus Gigitan Terpadu - TAKGIT and public education campaign targeting communities and MXGP organizers, and the formation of a Rabies Alert Cadre (Kader Siaga Rabies – KASIRA).
“Rabies is a disease that has been transmitted from animals to humans (zoonosis) for almost 200 years. This deadly disease has a mortality rate of up to 99.9% in humans. Dogs are the main source of rabies transmission. It can also be transmitted by cats and monkeys through deep bites or scratches", said Syamsul Ma'arif, Director of Veterinary Public Health, Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, while kicking off the rabies control activities in Sumbawa Besar.
One of the steps to prevent rabies in transmitting animals, especially in dogs is through vaccination of at least 70 percent of the dog population in an infected area. "This is what the government is trying to do through the relevant agencies in Sumbawa, by conducting mass vaccinations for dogs," added Ma’arif.
Vaccinated dogs marked with orange tags in Dompu, Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara (FAO/Sadewa/2019)
This year, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, declared the Rabies situation in West Sumbawa Regency as ‘Extraordinary Events (KLB)’ – an alert for increased transmission cases and death that neared outbreak situation. It was the third regency in West Nusa Tenggara province, with such a situation, after the government declared Rabies situation in Sumbawa and Dompu regency as KLB two years back.
"Through this rabies control program in Sumbawa, we hope to make the upcoming MXGP international event a success and make Indonesia a tourism destination that is safe from rabies”, said Hasan Basri, the Regional Secretary of Sumbawa Regency, at the same event.
