Rabies kills a man on Bali
5th February 2009, 15:00 WST
A 28-year-old Indonesian man has died after being bitten by a stray dog in Bali, where an outbreak of the disease is being blamed for five other deaths, an official said on Thursday.
Animal health worker Ida Alit said 1500 stray dogs had been put down since the disease cropped up late last year. Sixteen other people were being treated in hospitals for suspected rabies, he said.
The popular beach destination, which had been rabies-free for decades, has vaccinated 37,000 pet dogs and dozens of people with dog bites in recent weeks.
Although the source of the outbreak is unclear, “tourists should not panic because the situation is now under control,” Mr Alit said.
Hundreds of thousands of dog owners have been encouraged to take their pets to local clinics for vaccinations, Mr Alit said.
The man died in the coastal town of Kuta in December, two months after being bitten by a dog. Lab tests confirmed he had rabies.
JAKARTA
AP