In Reply to: WHO posted by lookoutcuster on Tuesday, 2. March 2010 at 23:58 Bali Time:
It can be difficult for people to do any research when their mind is made up about a thing.
Here are some more websites. I'm quoting a few lines from each one, or making a comment, so that you can decide before looking at the website if you wish to read more:
" The most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people is by eliminating rabies in dogs through animal vaccinations. A lack of awareness of the effectiveness and feasibility of this prevention approach hinders elimination of human cases. As shown in several countries - such as Japan and Malaysia - elimination of rabies in dogs can result in elimination of transmissions to people and other animals. Preventing human rabies through control of domestic dog rabies is a realistic goal for large parts of Africa and Asia.
Prevention of human rabies must be a community effort involving both veterinary and public health services. Rabies elimination efforts that focus on mass vaccinations of dogs are financially justified by the future savings of discontinuing post-exposure preventive treatment for people. "
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/index.html
''In the past, conventional methods of fox rabies control such as intensive culling or trapping aimed at a disruption of the natural route of infection among foxes by reducing their density. In fact, all these methods generally were incapable of reducing and maintaining the fox population below a certain level. Thus, based on many experiences, it was not possible to decrease the rabies incidence effectively"
http://www.who-rabies-bulletin.org/about_rabies/Control.aspx
"Vaccination of dogs is a crucial means of preventing the disease in animals and is the single most important factor in rabies prevention"
http://www.un.org.vn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=652&Itemid=94
"The use of indiscriminate dog culling as a method of rabies control has long been discredited. According to the World Health Organisation, 'Killing of dogs has not been shown to make any difference in the epidemiology of rabies' (Rabies elimination in South-East Asia, WHO project ICP BCT 001, 2005)
http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?UID=NM26EGPJMP6
Australia supported a vaccination program in Bali, not a culling program
http://www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au/jakt/MR08_116.html
"Agus Wiyono, director of animal health at the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, said that the most important step to curbing the spread of the disease was having all dogs, both strays and pets, vaccinated."
http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/rabies-outbreak-in-bali-puts-focus-on-lack-of-prevention-nationwide/337816
A very interesting read
http://www.rabiescontrol.net/assets/files/Resources%20for%20Vets/%27One%20World%20One%20Health%27-Rabies%20Elimination%20in%20Tropical%20Countries.pdf