Dili, Setembru 18, 2026 (Media Democracia) – The Ministry of Health (MoH) already has a national plan to eliminate rabies disease transmitted by dogs in Timor-Leste, with the objective of achieving elimination of this disease by 2030.
Minister of Health, Élia dos Reis Amaral, said that rabies cases transmitted by dogs continue to be a public health concern. Therefore, the Ministry of Health together with partners continues to make efforts to prevent and control the spread of this disease.
“The Ministry of Health already has a National Plan to eliminate rabies transmitted by dogs. Our objective is to achieve this elimination in 2030. In October 2025, with support from partners, we provided training on rabies prevention and management to 500 professionals from health services and veterinary services throughout the country,” said Élia dos Reis Amaral in her speech, Thursday (17/09).
She said that, based on analysis published by Timorese researchers and partners, during the period April 2024 to early July 2025, nearly 2,000 dog bite cases were registered.
This analysis also identified that some people have not yet completed the required vaccination doses after being bitten by a dog. Therefore, she stressed the importance of dog vaccination, rapid treatment for people at risk and education for the community.
Meanwhile, the Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur, appealed to the community to quickly report to veterinary or health authorities if there is a dog showing suspicious signs of rabies.
“If our dog shows strange behavior, bites without reason, eats unusual things, or runs aimlessly without any cause, it can be a sign of rabies disease. Don’t wait. Report suspected cases to the veterinarian or health authorities,” said Arvind Mathur in a press release, Tuesday (01/09).
He explained that signs in dogs suspected of rabies include behavior changing from normal, biting without provocation, eating unusual things such as wood, running aimlessly, change in bark, and excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth. However, not all of these signs mean that the dog has rabies, because an assessment by a competent professional is needed.
The National Director of Communicable Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, Constantino Pinto, said that since the detection of rabies cases in Timor-Leste in March 2024, health authorities have registered more than 4,000 dog bite cases, and confirmed deaths related to rabies up to 22 people, according to data he presented.
He also explained that a “probable” case refers to a patient who shows symptoms compatible with rabies, but without yet having laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis.
Because rabies has a very high mortality risk when clinical symptoms appear, the Ministry of Health continues to promote vaccination and post-exposure treatment for people who are bitten by dogs.
The Scientific Technical Director General at the National Institute of Public Health of Timor-Leste (INSP-TL), Névio Sarmento, said that since the rabies outbreak detected in September 2024, Timor-Leste has registered a total of 17 patient deaths, based on situational analysis presented at the One Health Symposium.
He also said dog bite cases reported increased from about 1,900 in June to 3,599 cases, and this may show that surveillance and community knowledge about the importance of reporting dog bite cases has increased.
“People have started reporting dog bite cases, meaning that the community has increased knowledge that when a dog bites a person, it must be reported,” said Névio Sarmento.
Névio said, the spread of rabies started from cases in Oe-Cusse, Covalima, Ermera and Bobonaro, and later also reported in Manatuto and Manufahi. He stressed that authorities continue to carry out surveillance to see how the disease can move to other municipalities.
Regarding the case in Manatuto, he said it was detected in August in the Administrative Post of Laclubar. Now the epidemiological surveillance team and epidemiological experts continue to conduct investigations to identify how the spread of rabies could reach this area.
He said the increase in dog vaccination and rapid reporting from the community about dog bite cases can help authorities prevent and reduce the spread of rabies disease in Timor-Leste.
Report: Octaviana Da Costa
Photo: Octaviana Da Costa