Biosecurity officials fear rabies could leapfrog into Australia from Indonesia even before the much feared foot and mouth disease touched down.
While FMD or African swine fever has the potential to ruin whole agricultural industries, rabies is a people killer.
Australia remains one of the few countries in the world free from rabies which is why 200,000 doses of rabies vaccine were sent to Bali this month.
It is part of Australia's $1.2 million program to support a mass dog vaccination program in Bali where an outbreak has led to 140 human deaths.
Australia has supplied free vaccines to Bali before.
At least 59,000 people die from rabies each year, with the majority of these deaths occurring in Africa and Asia.
Almost all those cases are caused by bites from infected dogs.
Rabies is thought to have arrived in Bali about October 2007 via the illegal movement of one or more infected dogs on fishing boats.
Early disease containment measures (dog movement controls, culling and vaccination) were unsuccessful and rabies subsequently spread throughout Bali.
Australia's biosecurity strategy is to keep rabies from spreading to Papua New Guinea and down through the Torres Strait.
Officials are on high alert after another of the dog diseases Australia was desperate to keep out - ehrlichiosis - mysteriously arrived in northern Australia in 2020.
It quickly spread across Australia and is now considered endemic in this country, meaning it is here to stay.
Once here, and infecting native animals as well, it is considered rabies would be hard to combat as well.
MORE READING: Indonesia hits three million FMD vaccines.
Australia supports its closest neighbours, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, to stay free from rabies through:
- assistance with rabies response strategies
- diagnostic capacity and surveillance
- development of national rabies management plans, outlining their approach to control and eradication of the disease.
Australian chief veterinary officer Dr Mark Schipp said the department was working closely with neighbouring countries to address high-risk pathways for the spread of rabies into Australia and contribute to the eradication of the disease.
Rabies is an infection that affects the brain and central nervous system. It is caused by a type of virus called a lyssavirus that people usually get from a bite or scratch from an infected animal.
Rabies is almost always fatal, but treatment can prevent the infection from developing.
Dr Schipp revealed Australia is currently reviewing the existing import conditions for cats and dogs to ensure they provide the right level of protection.
"Importing cats and dogs from rabies-endemic countries is a high risk pathway for rabies to enter Australia," he said.
"We need to ensure that cats and dogs entering from rabies-endemic countries have been vaccinated and developed immunity to the disease at least 180 days before entry.
So far this year the post entry quarantine facility in Melbourne has seen 4886 cats and dogs imported.
This facility is where cats and dogs are monitored by biosecurity staff for symptoms of rabies to ensure the disease does not enter Australia.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
