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#Rabies - #Timor-Leste (#WHO D.O.N., July 24 '25)

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By G.M.

 


{Summary}

Situation at a glance

On 17 May 2025, the Timor-Leste government reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) a fatal human case of rabies from Ermera Municipality. 

Between May and mid-June 2025, Timor-Leste confirmed four human rabies deaths in the municipalities of Bobonaro (n=2), Ermera (n=1) and Oecusse (n=1). 

All cases involved individuals exposed to dogs' bites months prior to symptom onset, with rabies virus confirmed via Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing. 

Since March 2024, a total of 106 animal rabies cases—mostly in dogs—have been reported, and over 1400 dog bites or scratches have occurred, with a total of six fatalities. 

Access to and completion of post-exposure prophylaxis remains limited. 

The spread of rabies into non-border areas like Ermera signals a growing public health concern. 

The public health response is ongoing and includes vaccination of dogs, risk communication, training of healthcare workers on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and case management, active surveillance, and ensuring the availability of rabies vaccines and human rabies immunoglobulin. 

Based on the current available information, the WHO assesses the risk posed by this event as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level, and low at the global level.

(...)

Source: World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON576

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