Rabies in Flores, Indonesia: Comparisons and Contrasts to Rabies Control in Africa

Rabies was introduced to the island of Flores (East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia) in 1997, by a dog transported from Buton Island to the eastern extremity of Flores. The disease subsequently spread westwards to affect the whole island, with the domestic dog being the principal host species. Rabies control was attempted almost entirely through dog population reduction, which was carried out by the communities under the encouragement and lobbying by community and religious leaders. Dog depopulation policies, as opposed to vaccination, were considered necessary because the absence of sufficient veterinary infrastructure required that control efforts had to be conducted by the communi ties, and not by a government authority. In contrast to the situation in Africa, rabies is likely to be easier to eradicate in Flores because it is an island with a limited and isolated dog population. Like most African countries Flores has poorly developed infrastructure to carry out rabies vaccination campaigns. For this reason it mobilised its communities into taking a very active role in the rabies eradication campaigns. This level of community participation (but not necessarily the techniques used) may be a model for rabies control programmes in Africa. -