As health officials in Bali step up the island’s defences against the Mpox virus, visitors are also being warned about the threat of rabies, which has resulted in four deaths so far this year.
Officials have identified 263 positive rabies cases in Bali this year
despite the government’s mass vaccination programme for dogs.
In Karangasem regency alone, an audit recorded 81,000 dogs, of which 70% have been vaccinated against the virus.
Officials say the major issues the provincial health department is
facing include public awareness of animal bites and the risk of rabies,
and the availability of vaccines.
The campaign to control rabies is being fought alongside new
requirements for visitors to Bali to complete an electronic health
self-declaration form before entering Indonesia. The central government
believes this declaration, along with thermal imaging at airports, will
help to stop the Mpox virus entering Bali.