(1/22/2011)
The District government of Nusa Penida in the Klungkung regency of Bali has declared an "extraordinary situation" (status kondisi luar biasa) for rabies for the island group located a short distance form Bali's southeast shore. The district of Nusa Penida includes the islands of Nusa Gede, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan.
The "extraordinary situation" alert was issued after the recent death of two local residents from rabies. Prior to these deaths, officials and local resident assumed the islands had escaped the epidemic of rabies taking place on nearby Bali.
Quoted in Beritabali.com, the head of the Bali Heath Office, Dr. Nyoman Sutedja, declared a rabies alert for Nusa Penida on Monday, January 17, 2011. He expressed concern for the 17 dog bite cases that have occurred in past months that went untreated in the mistaken assumption there were no infected dogs on the island.
Calling for a ban on the movement of dogs between the island and the outside world, Sutedja said hilly geography of the islands complicated efforts to control rabies. He also said that dogs carrying the virus may be sheltering in the caves found in the hills of the islands.
Related Article
[Rabies Claims 5th Victim in Bali in 2011]
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