Fears indonesian rabies epidemic could spread to other countries. (AFP/Getty Images)
The Indonesian government has warned that the ongoing rabies outbreak in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia could spread to other count강남출장안마ries, adding that it is “unclear how effective” the treatment currently available would be.
While the government says rabies can be transmitted via a bite from an infected animal, local public officials say that they have no proof that it is possible to transmit rabies from an infected human.
“There’s been no case of rabies transmission in public,” Bantjeng Tanen Siti, chief of local anti-rabies team at Indonesia’s National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, told AFP Monday.
Tanen Siti confirmed that the number of suspected cases of rabies in the country had increased from just nine cases in late May to more than 500.
Malaysia’s health ministry said in a statement Monday that around 700 Malaysians have been infect포커 의 신ed with the deadly disease, with some suffering severe paralysis as well as some loss of limbs.
According to reports, the disease — which can last up to seven years — is one of the world’s most deadly, and its symptoms include fever, swollen glands, severe pain, and, potentially, death.
“This year in South East Asia, the number of cases of rabies increased from 12 cases in early May to 14 cases in June,” Tanen Siti said.
According to a WHO spokesperson, as of Wednesday the disease has infected about 200,000 people across four countries, with another 50,000 affected, or more than 8 percent of the total populatio인천 출장 안마n, the health agency said.
According to WHO data, the disease killed around 16 people in Indonesia last year, and 1,500 to 2,600 people die from it each year in Malaysia and South East Asia.
It is believed that several hundred more people could die from the virus each year, experts say.
With a base population of 4.7 million, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago.