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Op-ed by Dr Arvind Mathur, WHO Representative
Dili: Until last March, Timor-Leste had not recorded a rabies death in recent history. Then, in Oecusse, a 19-year-old girl fell sick after a dog bite. Within weeks, she became the country’s first victim of a disease most families here had rarely heard of.
Eighteen months on, rr lives have already been lost to this deadly virus that has now touched seven municipalities. That is how fast rabies moves. And that is why the theme of this year’s World Rabies Day — ‘Act now: You, Me, Community’ — speaks so directly to Timor-Leste’s reality.
Facing an unknown threat, the Government declared it a public health emergency in June. The Ministry of Health, with strong support from WHO, moved quickly to understand the threat by drawing on expertise from WHO’s Collaborating Centre for Rabies Research and its Regional Office in South-East Asia to help Timor-Leste chart an immediate response.
The most urgent need was clear: vaccines. WHO swiftly procured 6,000 doses of vaccine and 1,000 doses of rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) last year.
This year, WHO again mobilised resources as vaccine needs grew. The Ministry of Health with WHO-Timor-Leste support, explored the possibility of getting doses from Indonesia, and in an exemplary show of neighbourly solidarity, the country agreed to donate doses.
That transfer — from Kupang to Dili within weeks in July— was the result of painstaking coordination: a chain of meetings linking WHO offices in Dili and Jakarta, two ministries of health, two foreign ministries, and the Indonesian Embassy in Dili. Finally, after substantial paperwork and customs clearance, a cold-chain truck from the National Institute of Pharmacy and Medical Products (INFPM) carried the vaccines safely across the border.
By August, WHO had procured another vital 10,000 doses of vaccine and 1,000 RIG, which have been distributed to municipalities. Each vial, once in a health centre, can become the difference between life and death. Now, with WHO’s support, the Ministry of Health has turned to India for help. Through the Indian Embassy in Dili, a request has been made for an additional 10,000 vaccine doses and 2,000 RIG.
But vaccines, while critical, are only the frontline defence. Rabies isn’t a medical problem alone. In fact, the line between animal health and human health has never been thinner. To truly break the cycle of transmission and stop new infections, Timor-Leste needed a comprehensive game plan.
Recognising this, Timor-Leste developed its first National Strategic Plan for Rabies Control — The Road to Zero. We are proud to have worked jointly with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, and partners such as Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in shaping this multisectoral effort. DFAT’s steadfast support for animal vaccination stands as a clear example of how cross-border and cross-sector collaboration delivers.
Importantly, this strategy is being out into action through a strong WHO-MOH partnership. WHO immunization programme, for instance, is working with the MOH on efficient vaccine distribution, stock systems, reporting and training health staff on administering vaccines. While the surveillance teams are building formats for dog bites and human rabies cases, producing weekly situation updates, and forecasting trends.
Because rabies prevention starts long before a bite, and with nearly 40% of dog-bite cases involving children — WHO, MOH and the Ministry of Education have also rolled out mass awareness materials. These include 90,000 pamphlets and thousands of training manuals for teachers and healthcare workers, with rabies modules integrated into the Primary Health Care Package (PHCP). In classrooms, children are learning how to steer clear of aggressive dogs and to seek help if bitten.
But beyond systems and structures, as the virus spreads, we must move fast: fighting both human and animal vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and preparing communities to act swiftly.
On this World Rabies Day, let us remember that while rabies is fatal, it is also 100 percent preventable. If you are bitten, immediately wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and go to a health centre. It’s essential to start the Anti Rabies Vaccine immediately and complete the full course without delay.
The vaccines are available, but they can only protect you if you seek them out. By acting together—You, me, and the community—we can ensure Timor-Leste walks the road to zero by 2030.