If you’re visiting Bali, you should be aware of the possibility of a rabies infection from a dog bite or other animal bite and what to do in the instance that you get bitten.
This may be the most important advice you get before coming to Bali as it could prevent you from contracting this fatal viral disease.
What Is Rabies?
The rabies virus is an entirely preventable disease. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal.
It begins by infection the central nervous system and ends by causing brain disease and death.
While the vast majority of cases of rabies occur in wild animals, any mammal can get rabies and the most common cause of rabies deaths in humans is dog bites. Stray dogs are a real problem in Bali.
It’s worth noting that cats, monkeys, etc. could all give you rabies too and any bite from a mammal in Bali should be treated as a potential vector for the disease.
What Is The Situation With Rabies In Bali?
Up until 2008, the island of Bali was rabies-free. Today, the disease is endemic thanks to someone smuggling a rabid creature into Bali.
There have been over 100 deaths since 2008 and thousands of rabid dog bites.
What Should You Do If You Get Bitten?
If you are bitten by an animal, you should immediately wash the wound with clean running water to try and flush the virus from the site of the bite.
After that, you should immediately visit a hospital or clinic to get a rabies vaccination.
Can You Get A Rabies Vaccination?
You can get a rabies vaccine either before you have been bitten or after being bitten as long as you are not developing symptoms of rabies.
If you go before you are bitten – you will be given two injections.
This initial vaccination does not provide 100% protection against the disease and if you are bitten, you need to get to a hospital within 48 hours of the dog bite for a further two injections to prevent human rabies.
If you go after you are bitten – you will be given a course of 5 injections over 21 days, you will also be treated with serum or rabies immunoglobulin (another 5 injections plus some very painful allergy tests). This process is known as post-exposure prophylaxis.
The vaccinations will not be effective if the rabies virus is already showing symptoms of affecting your central nervous system.
How Much Are The Vaccines?
Sadly, there’s a shortage of vaccines on the island and the cost of a course treatment can be as much as $2,000 USD ($3,000 AUD).
However, as there is no cure, prevention is your only option when it comes to this disease. We’d strong urge you to have travel insurance or health insurance to help you meet unforeseen expenses like this one.
How Can Rabies Be Diagnosed?
Rabies cases cannot be diagnosed in domestic animals or wild animals in Bali.
This means that if the animal is suspected of having the disease, it will be immediately euthanized or quarantined for a period of 10 days.
If the animal is still alive 10 days after showing symptoms, it is considered to be rabies-free.
What Is The Treatment For Rabies?
There is usually no practical treatment for this disease.
If you start showing symptoms (weakness, discomfort, fever, headaches, prickling/itching around the bite, cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation, delirium, hydrophobia, hallucinations and insomnia) the outcome is usually death.
There have been less than 20 people who have survived the onset of clinical rabies.
This is why it’s so important to get the vaccine before the incubation period leads to symptoms.
The Balinese and Indonesian governments take rabies prevention seriously and are rolling out programs of mass dog vaccination and public education to help prevent further cases.
However, this is a long-term strategy, and for the moment, rabies is a small but significant risk to people’s health on the island.
FAQ
How Many People Have Died Of Rabies In Bali?
The Balinese government does not release regular statistics on rabies deaths but according to the most recent reports, over 100 people have died in Bali from rabies.
How Common Is Rabies In Indonesia?
Rabies is endemic throughout most of Indonesia. There may be over 100,000 infected animal bites each year and more than 100 Indonesians will die each year from the disease.
What Happens If You Get Bitten By A Dog In Indonesia?
That’s very much up to you. But we’d recommend that you wash the wound thoroughly with water and then seek immediate rabies vaccination.
Do Stray Dogs In Bali Have Rabies?
Not all stray dogs in Bali have rabies, but some do. It’s best to avoid direct contact with any dog unless you’re certain of its vaccination history.
Is Rabies Common In Bali?
Rabies is endemic in Bali and over 100 people have died of the disease here since 2008.
However, the Balinese authorities have been working hard to reduce incidences of rabies through an ongoing program of vaccinating dogs in the streets.
Do You Need A Rabies Vaccine For Bali? Do I Need A Rabies Shot For Bali?
If you intend to spend a lot of time around dogs while in Bali, it’s recommended that you get vaccinated before you come to the country.
Otherwise, there’s no need for a vaccine before you come, but if you are bitten or scratched by any mammal, you should seek immediate rabies vaccinations.
It’s worth noting that rabies vaccination here in Bali is very expensive and you should have the appropriate travel insurance if you don’t want to end up paying for it.
There are 8 provinces in the country that are currently deemed to be rabies-free.
In all of the other 26 provinces, the disease is considered to be endemic and there are over 80,000 rabid animal-human bites which lead to over 100 deaths each year.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health takes this issue very seriously and is working on eliminating rabies by 2030.
Is 5 Months Too Late For A Rabies Vaccine?
Potentially, yes, but possibly not. It is too late to vaccinate against rabies once you start showing symptoms, then, the disease is nearly always fatal (though some recent studies show that placing someone in a medically induced coma may give the body time to fight the condition, this is very expensive and brings some serious problems for the patient).
While rabies will usually manifest in the body in just a few days or weeks, it is possible for the incubation period to last for years.
So, if you’ve been bitten and you’re worried and you don’t have rabies symptoms, we’d recommend getting vaccinated for peace of mind.
Final Thoughts On Rabies Bali
The risk of contracting the rabies virus in Bali is low.
However, if you come into contact with animals (including pets) and are bitten, then please understand that prevention in the form of vaccines is your only hope of surviving this disease.
Always make sure to flush the bite wound and then seek immediate medical treatment to avoid fatal consequences.
