Blog

Rabies cases on the rise in Bali

While Bali is known as a favourite travel destination for Western Australians, it’s also becoming increasingly known as a rabies hotspot, with more than 39,000 bite incidents recorded in 2024 and cases continuing to rise in 2025.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at rabies and how you can best protect yourself when travelling to Bali and other locations where this deadly disease is present.

What is rabies?

Rabies is an infection that affects your brain and central nervous system. It’s caused by a virus called a lyssavirus.

Humans can get rabies from bites or scratches from infected animals and through contact with the virus through the eyes, mouth, or nose.

While there are many animals that can carry rabies, including bats, monkeys and foxes, the majority of rabies in humans comes through bites from dogs.

Australia is one of the few countries in the world that does not have rabies; however, many popular destinations for Australian tourists do – including Bali.

Bali’s rise in rabies

In 2024, Bali recorded more than 39,000 bite incidents in people who had been bitten by rabies-carrying animals, with an additional 8,800 bite incidents and at least six human deaths recorded up to in 2025 (up to March).

As a result of this increase in rabies infections, Bali Health Authorities recently declared red zones in several locations, including the popular tourist areas of Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua and Jimbara, as well as the Mengwi District which covers Canggu’s Pererenan Beach.

bali_beach_boats_holiday

Symptoms

Rabies symptoms may start with a fever, sore throat, vomiting and headaches before progressing to more pronounced symptoms, including:

  • a changed mental state, agitation or hyperactivity
  • tremors
  • hydrophobia (fear of water)
  • aerophobia (fear of air)
  • dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
  • too much saliva in your mouth
  • enlarged pupils

Rabies symptoms can appear from one week to a year after exposure, but will usually appear 2 to 3 months after contact with the virus. As the incubation period for rabies can be long, it’s important to seek advice and get immunised against rabies after even a minor scratch or bite, to prevent the disease from developing.

Once symptoms appear, rabies is 100 percent fatal, so it’s important to get yourself treated as soon as you have been exposed to a potentially infected animal.

Treatment

Immediate treatment following a bite or scratch from an animal can help stop the infection from developing and becoming fatal.

If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal while overseas, you should:

  • wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes straight away
  • after washing, use an iodine-containing medicine or anti-viral medicine
  • do not cover the wound
  • see a doctor as soon as you can — even if you’ve had the rabies vaccine

The doctor may recommend treatment to reduce the risk of infection, including a combination of multiple doses of rabies vaccine given over a month and an injection of rabies immunoglobulin.

It’s important to note that in some locations (including Indonesia), rabies treatment can be limited and you may need to return to Australia or travel to another country for immediate treatment.

How to protect yourself when travelling

Of course, the best way to protect yourself from rabies is to get vaccinated before you head to any destination where rabies is present.

When you are travelling, you can further reduce your risk by following a few simple measures:

  • Do not get close to animals — this is especially important for children.
  • Do not touch stray dogs or cats.
  • Do not allow children to feed, pat or play with animals.
  • Do not carry food, and do not feed or pat monkeys. Try not to look at monkeys that have babies, as they may feel threatened and bite suddenly.
  • Do not touch bats anywhere in the world, including Australia.
  • Know what to do if you get an animal bite or scratch.

Travel health at IMC

Got a health question or concern about your upcoming or recent travels?

As a member of the Travel Medicine Alliance (TMA), we provide a range of travel health services including:

  • Travel vaccinations, of which we carry the full range of travel vaccines at our practice. This includes vaccines for rabies, measles, hepatitis A & B, yellow fever, malaria, tetanus, cholera and influenza.
  • Comprehensive consultations on your travel plans and health requirements, including recommended vaccinations and boosters for your travel destination.
  • Follow up advice and treatment of rabies and any other illnesses you may have obtained while travelling overseas.
  • Visa application health checks.
  • Travel medical kits.

Find out more on our Travel Health page.

To make an appointment at Illawarra Medical Centre to discuss any travel health plans or concerns, contact us on (08) 9208 6400 or book online.

For more information on this topic, visit: