Bali rabies outbreak claims 100 lives

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DENPASAR: An outbreak of rabies on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has claimed 100 lives over two years, a health official said Friday.

"Sixty of them died in our hospital. The last two victims died on Wednesday," said Ken Wirasandhi, from the rabies eradication team at the state Sanglah Hospital.

Dogs are common as pets or strays as Bali is a predominantly Hindu island but people in the rest of mainly Muslim Indonesia do not generally keep dogs, which are regarded as unclean in Islam.

A campaign to vaccinate almost 400,000 dogs against rabies began last month on the island, run by the World Society for the Protection of Animals in conjunction with the provincial government and supported by the Australian government.

Bali's provincial government has also been trying to stop the outbreak by killing more than 100,000 stray dogs since 2008, although experts say culling is not the most effective or humane way to deal with rabies outbreaks.

Bali is one of the most popular destinations for Australian tourists, who are drawn to its Hindu culture, surf beaches and nightlife.