Bali: 78 Killed by Rabid Dogs

by Dr. Chris

August 2, 2010 According to administration officials in Bali, at least 78 people have been killed due to rabies after being bitten by wild dogs over the last two years. Bali, which has a population of 3.5 million, has a high dog bite rate of over 30,000 incidents per year!

According to Bali's Health Ministry they recently euthanized over 200,000 dogs, and are in the process of vaccinating all of them.

Bali Indonesia is a large tourist destination, but so far it appears that no tourists have died of rabies. The United States and Australia have issued travel warnings to tourists wanting to visit Bali.

Bali was believed to be free of rabies until just two years ago. But since 2008 the disease has spread across the country very quickly.

There are several reasons why there are a large number of dogs on the island that are unvaccinated for rabies. First of all this is a fairly new disease for the island, and also dogs are roamed free because it's part of a Hindu tradition; it is believed that dogs will take their souls to heaven. Packs of dogs roam beaches, parks, and markets freely.

10 Dog Breeds Most Likely to Bite

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