REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA - Rabies experts from 12 Asian countries have concluded their annual meeting to exchange views and find practical solutions to the disease, which is still prevalent in the region. The meeting was held in Special Region of Yogyakarta. 

During the five-day meeting that ended Friday, experts from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and host Indonesia described their countries' situations and addressed specific problems encountered in their clinical practices. Rita Kusriastuti, a senior official at Indonesia's Health Ministry, said the discussion highlighted the need for united efforts, especially among paramedics and veterinarians.

Rabies kills some 70,000 people annually. In Indonesia, it is endemic in 24 of the country's 33 provinces, with the highest number of human cases on Bali island and East Nusatenggara. The World Society for the Protection of Animals says rabies cases in Bali have declined since 2010, when it led a project to vaccinate more than 200,000 dogs there in six months.

According to WHO's official site, rabies is a zoonotic disease (a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans) that is caused by a virus. It is known to be present on all continents except Antarctica and infects domestic and wild animals.

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