Travelvax Australia has recently noticed an increase in the number of travellers returning to Bali. Which coincides with an article published in the age newspaper. http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/bali-becomes-hotspot-as-aussies-seek-value-for-money-20090406-9uv4.html
Travel to Indonesia according to the Bureau of Statistics is up by 20%, whilst overall travel is down 2% since its peak in August last year. According to the author this is believed to be due to Australian’s seeking value for money, particularly as Australia sinks into a recession.
We therefore thought it was timely to remind travellers to Bali and indeed many international destinations that Rabies is a problem and it is the cause of around 50 000 deaths annually.
The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture reported to the World Health Organisation in December 2008 that there was on-going outbreak of rabies in dogs on the island of Bali, some in villages very near to popular tourist destinations on the southern tip of Bali.
According to the Centre for Disease Control; the following activities may put travellers to Bali at higher risk for rabies:
· Working closely with animals of unknown rabies exposure or vaccination history.
· Spending a lot of time in a rural area or doing outdoor activities such as bicycling, camping, or hiking. These activities increase the risk for coming in contact with animals.
· Touching or playing with animals.
· Adopting animals with the intention of bringing them home
General information and questions and answers about rabies can be found at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/qanda/
In order to keep your family safe the CDC has the following advice:
Follow these recommendations to protect you and your family from rabies:
Avoid animal bites.
· Avoid touching all animals, including wild animals like monkeys and pets. Unlike pets in the [Australia], pet dogs and cats in other countries may not have been vaccinated against rabies.
· Resist the urge to rescue animals with the intent to bring them home. Dogs and cats may be infected with rabies but not show signs until several days or weeks after you first encounter them.
· Supervise children closely, especially around dogs, cats, and wildlife such as monkeys. This is important since children are more likely to be bitten by animals, may not report the bite, and may have more severe injuries from animal bites.
· If you are travelling with your pet, supervise your pet closely and do not allow it to play with local animals, especially strays.
Act quickly if you are bitten or scratched.
· Wash the wound well with soap and water.
· See a doctor right away, even if you don’t feel sick or your wound is not serious. To prevent rabies, you may need to start a series of vaccinations immediately.
· To get vaccinated, be prepared to travel back Australia or to another area. (Adequate vaccination for exposure to rabies is not available in all parts of the world.)
· After you return home, tell your doctor or state health department that you were bitten or scratched during travel.
We have had several reports from our clinics that travellers have experienced animal bites, particularly monkey bites and even a mongoose bite in the last couple of months. So make sure you stay away from the animals, particularly the dogs.
The vaccination regime involves giving rabies immunoglobulin around the wound site and 5 doses of rabies immunisations on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28. Of particular concern is the international shortage of rabies immunoglobulin, this needs to be given as part of the post bite treatment regime in many circumstances.
Travelvax Australia recommends that you ensure your travel health insurance covers medical evacuation, in case you need post bite treatment.
There is an excellent medical centre in Kuta, the Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) http://www.bimcbali.com/ in case of an emergency.
For further information please call Travelvax Australia on 1300 360 164 Mon-Fri 9-5 EST.