DILI, 29 July 2025 (TATOLI) – Rabies has claimed four more lives in Timor-Leste, bringing the total number of deaths this year to ten, health officials said.
According to the Director of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services at the Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV), Vidal de Jesus Lopes, the latest victims include three from Covalima and one from Liquiçá.
So far this year, four deaths have been reported in Covalima, followed by two each in Oé-Cusse and Bobonaro, and one each in Ermera and Liquiçá.
“Rabies has become a public health concern in Timor-Leste, and all relevant parties must join forces to prevent and eliminate it. The Ministries of Health and Agriculture are responding with urgency,” Lopes said in Dili.
He added that the National Institute of Public Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MAPPF), has been raising public awareness on rabies prevention.
Between January 2024 and June 2025, MAPPF’s National Veterinary Directorate vaccinated 1,575 dogs in six municipalities: Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera, Liquiçá, and Oé-Cusse.
Since last year, 103 rabies cases have been detected in dogs — 56 in Bobonaro, 34 in Oé-Cusse, and 13 in Covalima.
In support of ongoing efforts, Timor-Leste received 2,000 vials of anti-rabies vaccine from the Indonesian Government on 25 July.
Journalist: Ivonia da Silva
Editor: Isaura Lemos de Deus
Translation: Filomeno Martins
