Bali Animal Husbandry Agency has requested a further 50,000 doses of rabies vaccines from the Health Ministry, as it prepares for skyrocketing demand for the drug. “We’ve had already requested 50,000 more rabies vaccines to anticipate any possible scarcity,” agency head Ida Bagus Alit said Thursday in Denpasar. He added Bali still needed “a lot more” vaccines because there were still many unvaccinated dogs on the island.

He said the agency previously received 50,000 doses from the Health Ministry when the rabies scare broke out late last year. As many 35,184 vaccines have been used on 15,190 dogs found and reported in Badung, as well as 19,994 in Denpasar. Badung and Denpasar are the areas in Bali that have been officially declared contaminated with the rabies virus.

Alit said the vaccination program had yet to include all dogs in the two areas, but added there were no exact figures on the number of dogs in the areas. “I know there is still at least one district in Badung that has yet to be vaccinated, which is Petang district,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m just quoting the likelihood of there being dogs that have yet to be vaccinated.”

There are no official statistics for the island’s dog population, with most government agencies and animal rights organizations in Bali deeming such a census impossible, due to the tendency of many Balinese to let their dogs roam the streets. This has made it more difficult to conduct any rabies-handling program effectively.

Alit said his agency would continue to sweep Badung and Denpasar for unvaccinated dogs. “We hope all the dogs in Badung and Denpasar get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said. The agency’s vaccination program includes three vaccination steps within a one-year period.

The first step is currently underway as dogs are rounded up for vaccination. The second will take place three months later, while the third step is scheduled for about a year from now. “We urge those who have already vaccinated their dogs to return for the second and third steps of the program. This is important to help return Bali to its former rabies-free state,” Alit said.

Many dogs suspected of having the virus or already infected have been culled. The animal husbandry agency has culled 607 dogs in Badung regency and 36 in Denpasar municipality. “The culling was done at the public’s request. We do this extremely selectively, so don’t assume that there’s an animal slaughter going on,” Alit pointed out.

The agency has also kicked off education and culling programs in the island’s seven other regencies to prevent the virus from spreading there.