On April 5th and 6th, 2024, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), held a two-day technical seminar for health professionals, focusing on dog bite management and rabies control. The Vice Minister for Institutional Strengthening of Health, José dos Reis Magno, accompanied by the WHO Representative in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur, chaired the seminar.
Two WHO rabies virus specialists, Katrin Bote and Reeta Mani, attended the initiative. They collaborated in training health professionals on issues related to the clinical management of dog bites and rabies prevention.
A joint risk assessment was also carried out on the rabies situation in the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cússe Ambeno (RAEOA – acronym in Portuguese) to assess the risks of spreading the disease and provide recommendations to stakeholders.
Considering the increase in dog bite cases, the importance of immediate guidance for health professionals and the need to investigate and clinically manage these cases appropriately are highlighted.
On April 6th, 2024, the Secretary of State for Livestock also issued a circular with measures to prevent and control the rabies virus.