Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture is stepping up the fight against rabies in Bali.
This year the island has been allocated 205 thousand doses of vaccine for dogs and other animals, and diagnoses are confirmed by the ministry's laboratory in Denpasar. Local authorities and the veterinary association want Bali to be rabies-free again by 2030, as it was before 2008.
Since the end of last year, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the charity Mission Rabies have been supplying a further 580 thousand doses. This batch is also intended for Flores, Komodo and other islands to the east. The ministry proposes registering animals so it can see where the vaccine has not yet reached.
More than half of the island's dogs are already protected: they are vaccinated free of charge, right in the villages. The area around Ubud has made the most progress, with coverage reaching 93.5% by the end of summer. In the regency that includes Kuta, Canggu and Nusa Dua, coverage averages 78.5% against a target of 70%, and vets are continuing their field visits.
In Denpasar, teams are going door to door: almost three out of every four dogs have been vaccinated, and they expect to pass 90% by the end of the year.
In the summer, the island's authorities, Udayana University, the veterinary association and the same laboratory formed a joint working group. It has been tasked with speeding up vaccinations, strengthening disease surveillance and responding faster to new cases.
In the north of the island, all 129 villages have adopted their own rabies regulations, and 33 communities have also written them into their customary village law. The area also has 74 teams that keep a register of dogs and track where they move.
Last month, on Tumpek Uye, the Balinese festival honouring animals, pets across the island were vaccinated in a single day. Two weeks later, a mountain village in the north held a "family planning" day for dogs: around 30 vets sterilised and vaccinated them free of charge.
After the injection, the dog is fitted with a collar, and the vaccination is repeated every year. Owners are asked not to let their pets roam the streets unattended and to make sure there are no unplanned litters of puppies.
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