Tackling Rabies Outbreak: Supporting the West Timor response
Rabies remains a major public health issue in Indonesia, with significant impacts on human health, the economy, and society. In collaboration with staff from the Australian-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP) the Nossal Institute has been providing support for the ongoing rabies outbreak in West Timor, Indonesia.
Veterinarians Dr. Angus Campbell and Dr. Max Barot, and agricultural economist Dr. Justin McKinley, recently travelled to West Timor to gather critical information for economic and epidemiological modelling to support decision-making and advocacy for the rabies responses. The team visited four districts of West Timor to engage with key partners from the animal health, disaster management, quarantine, and human health authorities. They also visited field vaccination sites and village communities in the Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) district, witnessing firsthand some of the successes and challenges of local rabies control efforts.
Preliminary economic analysis revealed that for the cost of one human rabies post-exposure treatment, 24 dogs could be vaccinated. A control program centered on mass dog vaccination can be expected to stop further human deaths once 70% of the dog population is fully vaccinated. This amounts to savings of IDR 64 billion (approximately AUD 5.9 million) per year over the next decade, compared to efforts mainly focused on treating humans after potential exposure to rabies. This is achieved because of the cost-effectiveness of dog vaccination in stopping rabies transmission, the human treatment savings brought about by good disease surveillance, and the hundreds of human lives saved.
Nossal’s team presented their preliminary findings to provincial decision-makers and technical staff at a Zoonotic Diseases workshop, emphasising how critical mass dog vaccination was to help control rabies in both animals and humans.
Local animal health staff have administered over 120,000 doses of canine vaccines in the past year. Maintaining the momentum of the outbreak response is critical, as it offers the real possibility of eliminating the disease - and requisite control costs - from West Timor.
The fight against rabies is not just about combating a single disease; it is a testament to the power and benefits of prevention and a call to recognise the broader advantages of investing in animal health.
Dr Max Barot, is a Research Fellow at the Nossal Institute working on One Health projects