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Denpasar and Jakarta. Indonesia ranks fifth in Asia for rabies, the World Health Organization said on Friday, a grim sign of the lack of awareness and strategy in tackling the disease.

About 130 people die from rabies every year, mostly in Bali, where rabies is endemic, WHO’s Indonesian representative Stephan Jost said in his speech marking World Rabies Day in Bali.

“Vaccinations must be a collaborative effort among the government departments with the support of the people,” Jost said.

The Health Ministry says 168 people have died of rabies so far this year, of which 101 cases happened in Bali.

It says 24 provinces have been declared rabies endemic areas.

Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta and East Nusa Tenggara, Papua and West Papua provinces are free of rabies.

In Asia, India ranks No. 1 for rabies, with 30,000 deaths, followed with China with 25,000, Vietnam 9,000 and the Philippines 300, according to WHO.

The director general of the Agriculture Department, Tjepi Sudjana, said a national anti-rabies vaccination program had reached just 70 percent of the population so far.

As for Bali, the provincial government had 27,484 vials of vaccine ready and would add 77,876 more to be distributed throughout the island, Tjepi said.

“We are aiming for a rabies-free Bali by 2012,” he said.

The latest rabies outbreak in Bali started in the Badung district in November 2008. The province has been grappling with the outbreak ever since.

Several countries have issued advisories, affecting the tourism industry. Travelers are told they should get shots and stay clear of roaming dogs.

In a bid to fight the spread of rabies, the Health Ministry also has established 43 rabies centers in Bali’s affected districts and municipalities to provide early medical treatment for dog-bite victims.

Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar has been designated as the central hospital for treating rabies cases.

The head of the Jakarta province’s Marine and Fisheries Department, Dzawil Hidayah, said most dogs in the capital had been vaccinated.

The city carries out an annual vaccination program to keep the curse at bay.

Dzawil’s department monitors animal welfare in the Jakarta province.

“Aside from vaccinations, we also monitor the population of animals in the city. We also deal with stray animals found on the streets,” he said.

“I suggest all pet owners get their animals vaccinated and not let the animals out in the streets unattended.”

Dzawil said that as a first-aid measure, people bitten by a dog they suspect could have rabies should wash the wound with soap and running water and immediately apply alcohol to kill the virus.

Tarakan public hospital in Central Jakarta and Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital in North Jakarta had rabies wards, he said.