As I’ve written in an earlier post (albeit in German), more than 100 people die of rabies in Flores every year. The Pos Kupang from August 9th also reiterated that within NTT province, only the islands between Flores and Lembata – Flores, Adonara, Solor and Lembata – were known to be rabies areas, whereas the other bigger islands in the province, Timor, Sumba, Alor, Rote and Sabu were considered rabies free.
On my way to Flores I was travelling through Bali, and when I was sitting in one of those places there with free wifi internet, I had a chance encounter with a rabies expert (presumably) from South Africa. She told me that in case you are bitten without any prior vaccination, the WHO recommends treatment with immunoglobulin, which is not indicated in cases of individuals with prior vaccination (though they still need to undergo treatment). The problem is that immunoglobulin is hard to get in Indonesia, even in Bali. If you’re in Bali, you can fly overnight to Singapore where they have plenty of immunoglobulin, but if getting from Flores to Singapore within 24 hours would be infinitely more difficult. So get vaccinated before you go! Rabies vaccine necessary for treatment post-exposure is usually available in the hospitals in the bigger towns on Flores.
Also to those worried about the ‘recent rabies outbreak’ on Bali: She told me that the increased numbers probably reflect better monitoring than anything else. Rabies probably has been present in Bali for a long time already.
(Sources: Pos Kupang, WHO: www.who.int/rabies/human/postexp/en/index.html)
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