Secretary of State for Livestock

Ninth Constitutional Government

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April 6th, 2024

Press Release

Rabies Virus Prevention and Control Measures

Given the entry of rabies into Timor-Leste, a virus which resulted in the death of a Timorese citizen in the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cússe Ambeno (RAEOA), as a result of being bitten by a rabies-positive dog and to prevent and mitigate this disease among the population, the Secretary of State for Livestock, together with the Ministry of State Administration are working, through the Presidents of the Municipal Authorities (Local Authorities, Community Leaders), the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), to control and address this situation, to prevent and mitigate this outbreak.

Therefore, based on Article 3 (d) (e), article 5, (1) (a) (c) and (2), and Articles 7, 9 and 10 of Decree-Law No. 12/2014, of May 14^th, on the Restriction of the Movement of Animals in Urban Areas, the following instructions are given:

1. It is strictly forbidden to leave animals, namely dogs, cats, and monkeys, in public places throughout the territory of Timor-Leste;
2. The community that owns dogs, cats and monkeys is urged to leash or tie them up and not let them run free, especially those who live close to the borders, such as in the municipalities of Bobonaro, Covalima, RAEOA and Dili, thus restricting dogs from moving freely within the community;
3. It is forbidden to transport animals, namely dogs, from the municipalities of Bobonaro, Covalima and RAEOA to other municipalities (by land, air or sea) to prevent the virus from spreading to other municipalities;
4. Everyone is asked to cooperate with the vaccination teams to vaccinate your dogs, cats and monkeys;
5. Failure to comply with the rules mentioned above, and in the event that someone is bitten by the animals as mentioned above (dogs, cats and monkeys), will result in the respective owners of these animals being held responsible, based on the Decree-Law above. END