Rabies in Bali 2026: 52,645 bites and 7 deaths by September

How many rabies cases has Bali recorded in 2026?

By 11 September 2026 the Bali provincial health office had recorded 52,645 bites by rabies-carrying animals, about 219 a day, up from 45,365 on 7 August. Badung had the most, 9,961, followed by Karangasem (6,566) and Denpasar (6,480). Seven people died: three in Buleleng and one each in Jembrana, Tabanan, Gianyar and Karangasem. Bali recorded 16 deaths in the whole of 2025.

Some 39,193 bites are listed as "diVAR". Bali Post described these as bites flagged as rabies-positive, but in Bali's official reports the figure counts people who received rabies vaccine (VAR); a Bali disaster agency report to 20 July 2025, for example, gave 34,845 bites and 23,705 people vaccinated. Bite counts record people bitten, scratched or exposed to saliva from an animal that could carry rabies, not confirmed rabies cases.

Badung, with 33 rabies cases in animals this year and 78.5% vaccination coverage, has had no deaths. Deaths are concentrated in Buleleng, where three children died after rabid dog bites without receiving vaccine. The health office says the January–August 2026 deaths happened because victims did not report to a health facility.

Sources: Hingga 11 September 2026, Bali Catat 39.193 Kasus Gigitan Terindikasi Rabies ↗ · Gigitan Rabies di Bali Capai 45.365 Kasus, Kabupaten Ini Laporkan Kematian Tertinggi ↗ · Perkembangan Kasus Rabies di Bali, Periode 1 Januari hingga 20 Juli 2025 ↗ · 3.517 kasus gigitan hewan penular rabies di NTB, empat meninggal ↗ · Capaian Vaksinasi HPR 78,5 Persen, 33 Kasus Rabies Tercatat di Badung ↗ · Kasus Gigitan Tembus 216 per Hari, Dinkes Bali Pastikan Stok Vaksin Rabies Aman Hingga Akhir Tahun ↗ · Dinkes Bali sebut butuh laporan kasus rabies buntut tujuh orang tewas Januari-Agustus ↗

What share of Bali's dogs are vaccinated against rabies?

Bali's agriculture and food security office puts the island's dog population at about 570,000, with rabies vaccination coverage at around 60% on 20 September 2026; the target is 87% by the end of the year. WHO calls mass dog vaccination, including puppies, the most cost-effective way to prevent rabies in people.

In Tabanan, coverage was only 56.02% (30,654 of about 54,726 animals) on 29 September, against a target of at least 80%. Bites by rabies-positive dogs were recorded in 12 villages in Pupuan, Kediri, Tabanan and West Selemadeg districts between 21 January and 7 September, and about 80% of the biting dogs had no owner. District coverage ranges from 95.24% in Tabanan district to 12.54% in Kerambitan.

In Bangli, 38 of 197 dog samples have tested positive since January, across 16 villages, with no human deaths. Coverage there is only 42% because vaccinators are also working on foot-and-mouth disease; the year-end target is above 70%.

Sources: Vaksinasi Rabies di Bali Capai 60 Persen dari Populasi Anjing ↗ · Vaksinasi Rabies Baru 56 Persen, 12 Desa Tabanan Masuk Zona Merah ↗ · Sejak Januari, 38 Anjing di Bangli Positif Rabies ↗ · Rabies (fact sheet) ↗

What happened in Baler Bale Agung, Jembrana?

A puppy of about four months bit three members of its owner's family in Anyar Sari, Baler Bale Agung, in Negara district. A veterinary team vaccinated animals nearby on 18 September, and that evening brain-sample results from the Denpasar veterinary laboratory (BBVet) confirmed the puppy had rabies. It had not been vaccinated because its owner's house was empty when vaccinators called.

Jembrana's agriculture, fisheries and food office said three of its five latest samples were positive, including dogs in Pohsanten (Mendoyo) and Candikusuma (Melaya). Emergency vaccination followed on 21 and 22 September; in Banjar Moding Kaja alone, 28 unvaccinated animals were found. By September Jembrana had recorded 75 rabies cases in animals, and the office has asked owners to report unvaccinated puppies of around three months.

Sources: Tiga HPR Divaksin Darurat usai Kasus Gigitan Anak Anjing di Jembrana ↗ · Anak Anjing Gigit Warga di Baler Bale Agung Positif Rabies ↗ · Rabies Capai 75 Kasus di Jembrana, 28 HPR Belum Divaksin ↗

How serious is rabies in Bima and West Nusa Tenggara?

Bima regency's health office handled 312 bite cases from January to early September 2026, mostly in Donggo, Soromandi, Sanggar and Tambora districts. A resident of Langgudu district who had been bitten by a stray dog died after testing positive for rabies. The office says bites in 2026 are trending lower than in 2025.

Across West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the provincial health office has recorded 3,517 bites and four deaths in 2026: two in Sumbawa regency, one in Bima regency and one in Bima city. Sumbawa regency remains under rabies outbreak (KLB) status.

Sources: Dinkes Bima menangani 312 kasus gigitan hewan rabies ↗ · Satu Orang Meninggal, 312 Kasus Gigitan Hewan Rabies ↗ · Dinkes NTB Catat 3.517 Kasus Rabies, Empat Orang Meninggal ↗ · Sumbawa Kesulitan Keluar dari Status KLB Rabies ↗

How widespread is rabies in Indonesia, and what are the rules?

A Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) circular, HK.02.02/C/508/2025, dated 14 March 2025, lists 26 of Indonesia's 38 provinces as rabies-endemic, with 185,359 bites by rabies-carrying animals and 122 deaths in 2024. WHO stresses that rabies is fatal in 100% of cases once clinical symptoms appear.

Rabies reached Bali in 2008, and according to Bali's agriculture and food security office more than 200 people on the island have died of it, all after dog bites. Bali Regulation No. 15 of 2009 requires owners to vaccinate their animals regularly and keep them inside the house or yard, and Bali Regulation No. 5 of 2023 bans trading dog meat and abandoning or torturing animals.

Sources: Surat Edaran Kemenkes Nomor HK.02.02/C/508/2025 tentang Kewaspadaan terhadap Kasus Rabies ↗ · Tingkatkan Kewaspadaan! Kemenkes Imbau Penguatan Pencegahan Rabies di Masyarakat dan Fasilitas Kesehatan ↗ · Rabies (fact sheet) ↗ · Vaksinasi Rabies Massal 2025 pada Hewan Penular Rabies (HPR) ↗ · Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali Nomor 15 Tahun 2009 tentang Penanggulangan Rabies (PDF) ↗

What should you do after a dog bite in Bali?

Kemenkes asks anyone bitten to wash the wound straight away with soap and running water for 15 minutes, then go to a puskesmas (community health centre), hospital or Rabies Center for rabies vaccine as soon as possible. A health worker decides whether vaccine is needed, and the biting animal can be observed for 14 days by the animal-health service.

Do not wait for symptoms. Speaking about the 2025 deaths, I Gusti Ayu Raka Susanti, head of disease control at the Bali health office, said that, broadly speaking, 99 per cent of those who died had not gone to a health service. On 11 September 2026 Bali held 40,881 vials of rabies vaccine.

Sources: Tingkatkan Kewaspadaan! Kemenkes Imbau Penguatan Pencegahan Rabies di Masyarakat dan Fasilitas Kesehatan ↗ · Surat Edaran Kemenkes Nomor HK.02.02/C/508/2025 tentang Kewaspadaan terhadap Kasus Rabies ↗ · Sepanjang 2025, Gigitan HPR Rengut 16 Jiwa di Bali ↗ · Hingga 11 September 2026, Bali Catat 39.193 Kasus Gigitan Terindikasi Rabies ↗

What happens next

• Bali is aiming for 87% dog vaccination coverage by the end of 2026, and on 11 September Governor Wayan Koster called for wider vaccination and sterilisation on the way to a rabies-free Bali by 2030.
• The provincial government says rabies control no longer prioritises killing dogs; strays are to be caught, sheltered and sterilised.
• The NTB health office is investigating every rabies death, from the bite to whether vaccine was given.

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Sources and references

1. Hingga 11 September 2026, Bali Catat 39.193 Kasus Gigitan Terindikasi Rabies ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-17
2. Vaksinasi Rabies Baru 56 Persen, 12 Desa Tabanan Masuk Zona Merah ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-29
3. Sejak Januari, 38 Anjing di Bangli Positif Rabies ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-25
4. Dinkes Bima menangani 312 kasus gigitan hewan rabies ↗ — ANTARA News Mataram, 2026-09-09
5. Tingkatkan Kewaspadaan! Kemenkes Imbau Penguatan Pencegahan Rabies di Masyarakat dan Fasilitas Kesehatan ↗ — Kementerian Kesehatan RI, 2025-03-20
6. Gigitan Rabies di Bali Capai 45.365 Kasus, Kabupaten Ini Laporkan Kematian Tertinggi ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-08-11
7. Perkembangan Kasus Rabies di Bali, Periode 1 Januari hingga 20 Juli 2025 ↗ — BPBD Provinsi Bali, 2025-07-23
8. 3.517 kasus gigitan hewan penular rabies di NTB, empat meninggal ↗ — Kicknews.today, 2026-09-21
9. Capaian Vaksinasi HPR 78,5 Persen, 33 Kasus Rabies Tercatat di Badung ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-13
10. Kasus Gigitan Tembus 216 per Hari, Dinkes Bali Pastikan Stok Vaksin Rabies Aman Hingga Akhir Tahun ↗ — Tribun Bali, 2026-08-11
11. Dinkes Bali sebut butuh laporan kasus rabies buntut tujuh orang tewas Januari-Agustus ↗ — ANTARA News Bali, 2026-08-12
12. Vaksinasi Rabies di Bali Capai 60 Persen dari Populasi Anjing ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-21
13. Rabies (fact sheet) ↗ — World Health Organization, 2026-09-17
14. Tiga HPR Divaksin Darurat usai Kasus Gigitan Anak Anjing di Jembrana ↗ — RRI Singaraja, 2026-09-18
15. Anak Anjing Gigit Warga di Baler Bale Agung Positif Rabies ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-09-20
16. Rabies Capai 75 Kasus di Jembrana, 28 HPR Belum Divaksin ↗ — detikBali, 2026-09-22
17. Satu Orang Meninggal, 312 Kasus Gigitan Hewan Rabies ↗ — Suara NTB, 2026-09-12
18. Dinkes NTB Catat 3.517 Kasus Rabies, Empat Orang Meninggal ↗ — NTBSatu, 2026-09-20
19. Sumbawa Kesulitan Keluar dari Status KLB Rabies ↗ — Suara NTB, 2026-07-25
20. Surat Edaran Kemenkes Nomor HK.02.02/C/508/2025 tentang Kewaspadaan terhadap Kasus Rabies ↗ — Kementerian Kesehatan RI, 2025-03-14
21. Vaksinasi Rabies Massal 2025 pada Hewan Penular Rabies (HPR) ↗ — Dinas Pertanian dan Ketahanan Pangan Provinsi Bali, 2025-04-29
22. Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali Nomor 15 Tahun 2009 tentang Penanggulangan Rabies (PDF) ↗ — Pemerintah Provinsi Bali, 2009-12-28
23. Sepanjang 2025, Gigitan HPR Rengut 16 Jiwa di Bali ↗ — Bali Post, 2026-01-09

This story was written by the PanduanHewan editorial team from the reports and official sources listed; we do not copy other outlets. Facts may change as the story develops; the update date is shown at the top. Send a correction

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