Bali fights a rabies surge on a crowded tourist island

Bali is fighting a surge in rabies, a deadly disease spread by animal bites, on an island that draws millions of foreign tourists. As the South China Morning Post reports, nearly 30,000 people were bitten by suspected rabid animals between January and May 2026, and 21,000 needed emergency vaccination. Five people have died of rabies on the island so far this year, after 16 deaths in 2025.

The problem is widespread. Rabies is endemic, meaning always present, in 26 of Indonesia's 38 provinces, with Bali and East Nusa Tenggara the worst hit. In one Bali district, Jembrana, an official called for urgent mass vaccination of animals after a rabid pet dog attacked two children and an adult, and 33 animals were confirmed infected in the district in the first half of the year.

The report also links the outbreak to Bali's dog meat trade, which the island banned in 2023 with fines of up to 50 million rupiah (about US$2,800). An animal-welfare expert, Wendy Higgins, said it is a "scientific certainty" that moving dogs around for meat helps spread rabies into towns that had been declared free of it. The story points to gaps in how Indonesia controls animal disease and warns the public, a risk both for residents and for the tourists Bali depends on.

Why it matters

If you live in or travel to Bali and other affected areas, this is a real health risk: get treatment fast after any animal bite, because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. For Bali's economy, an uncontrolled outbreak could scare off the tourists it relies on. Watch whether the government funds mass animal vaccination and enforces the rules meant to slow the disease.