Stray Dogs Fuel Bali Rabies Outbreak

[Boronia]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/12/29/3103429.htm

[LizT]

I also saw this Report last night. It is a very worrying situation. Given that this disease was not even present in Bali until 2008 and given the number of Australian tourist that visit Bali, without proper diligence it could easily get into Australia via some "nuff nuff" getting nipped by an infected dog and not taking proper action.

[Souff]

A bit too close to home really. Let's hope that both cultural and government attitudes there can change quickly so as to contain the problem.

Souff

[LizT]

A bit too close to home really. Let's hope that both cultural and government attitudes there can change quickly so as to contain the problem.

Souff

From what I gathered in the News story the problem is that the Welfare groups are going around vaccinating dogs and the locals are going around culling dogs, which then leaves the territory open for more unvaccinated dogs to move in.

A terrible cycle of "knee jerk reaction" versus "attempts at control".

[Debyork2]

Many years ago my mum had to have the rabies vaccination-my parents lived in West Africa at the time & the little dog they had developed rabies symptoms-terrified of water etc (hence its other common name 'hydrophobia'), the dog was put to sleep and her brain sent for analysis. After an anxious wait the telegram came back that the dog did indeed have rabies, my mum was about 6 months pregnant and had to have daily injections into her abdomen-think it was for about a week, the Dr. used to give her a stiff shot of brandy! My dad wasn't as lucky and just had to tough it out. The little dog must have been nipped by something, she was a 'Canary Island Dog', something like a Maltese. Not a pleasant experience, this took place in the fifties so treatment may be better now!

[dasha]

I think the problem is a bit more than some people vaccinating and some culling. The problem is more that there is so many stray dogs roaming that it is impossible to contain the disease. 1 vaccination isn't enough to to cover a dog in a high rabies area.

Bali is a poor country and just the cost of vaccinating 70% of the stray dogs is a huge effort not to mention the costs of paying the peoplet to catch, needle etc. Then there is the cost of treating the large number of people that have been bitten etc. The country cannot afford that kind of program esp if tourism drops off.

I mean there looks to be an awful lot of essentially wild dogs that live among the people and that is not a good way to live. Sharing your street with a potential killer is awful to share it with 10 is even worse. I know I will be flamed for it but maybe a cull wouldn't be a bad way to go for a while. Reduce the number to a more manageable number, improve the hygiene of the villages, improve the health of the remaining dogs, educate the people in caring for a dog and maybe then they will control the disease a little more.

[gillybob]

Geez how much would it cost our government to help them.

Surely we could afford it.

I reacon culling would be the only way.

I was behind a bloke on a bike, who hit a dog in Bali. The man broke his arm and leg, the dog got up and walked away.

They eat all the garbage and spread disease.

[Souff]

Geez how much would it cost our government to help them.

Surely we could afford it.

I reacon culling would be the only way.

I was behind a bloke on a bike, who hit a dog in Bali. The man broke his arm and leg, the dog got up and walked away.

They eat all the garbage and spread disease.

Sigh .....

Gillybob, most of our governments cannot manage to look after their own backyard properly.......

There is apparently internal politics at work in Bali, in conflict about the dog problem, or so I am told. The people who do the vaccinating are at odds with the people who do the culling and somewhere in between there is another group who are desexing ....... Perhaps if they could all put their cultural and political differences aside and POOL their resources and attack the problem from a united front with the local population included - culling, desexing and vaccinating - then the problem might be controlled sooner.

I wouldn't be calling for Aussie govt funds to be given to another political fracas. Throwing money at a divided problem never solves the problem.

There has to be a united front and a combined action plan to get a good result from any funds.

We have more than a few thousand Aussie tourists in Bali and many of them have already given money to the various groups who are involved with the dog problem, and no doubt they and the expats will continue to give because it is a place that they have a serious interest in.

Souff

[barkon]

Many years ago my mum had to have the rabies vaccination-my parents lived in West Africa at the time & the little dog they had developed rabies symptoms-terrified of water etc (hence its other common name 'hydrophobia'), the dog was put to sleep and her brain sent for analysis. After an anxious wait the telegram came back that the dog did indeed have rabies, my mum was about 6 months pregnant and had to have daily injections into her abdomen-think it was for about a week, the Dr. used to give her a stiff shot of brandy! My dad wasn't as lucky and just had to tough it out. The little dog must have been nipped by something, she was a 'Canary Island Dog', something like a Maltese. Not a pleasant experience, this took place in the fifties so treatment may be better now!

I was in Indonesia in '82, got bitten by a horse while on a Pony Club event, when we got home it was decided that I have the rabies vaccination. I was terrified ( and 16) at the time because I had been told about the stomach shots, so was greatly relieved to receive weekly shots in the arm instead.

[ruffpup]

There have been untold numbers of dogs in Bali for ages. From my experience, at least before the early 70s. And back then they were the only animals that weren't sacred. A dog was one thing people didn't want to come back as in reincarnation. Still, Indonesia claimed not to have rabies back then, and I never heard of anyone ever getting rabies shots either.

I haven't been there for ages and don't know how much has changed.

I found this about an animal vaccinating program from September:

http://www.wspa.org.au/latestnews/2010/Bal...ate_rabies.aspx

[LizT]

The news story I saw gave the impression that the dogs were highly regarded and prized as pets.

I must say that they were in pretty good nick and many that were on the beaches and roaming had collars on. Many were of camp dog type but in far superior condition to those found in our outback missions etc. There were also a number of people with what appeared to be purebred toy breeds and various larger spitz breeds.

I hope this situation doesn't affect the Balineses love of their dogs or causes them to 'turn on' or abandon them.

[cybergenesis]

Whoa rabbies is probably the worst thing you can ever get... It is DEADLY... I am so glad we do not have it here. Rabbies is my worst fear.

Edited January 5, 2011 by cybergenesis

[ruffpup]

Whoa rabbies is probably the worst thing you can ever get... It is DEADLY... I am so glad we do not have it here. Rabbies is my worst fear.

That's what I though too, until a few years ago when I heard that thing that bats carry -

http://www.csiro.au/science/Australian-bat-lyssavirus.html

Starts off with -

In 1996, a new virus was discovered in Australian bats - identified as a lyssavirus, the new virus is a close relative to the common rabies virus found overseas.

yuck. The moral of the story is, don't handle bats!