The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Wednesday that the first fatal human case of rabies hit the small country of Timor-Leste, which was otherwise classified as “rabies free.”
Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor) is an independent state once occupied by the Portuguese, situated in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Asia, not too far from Australia. The country is still classified as “rabies free,” which is no mean feat considering WHO announced a fatal case was contracted back in Dec. 2023 and the person hospitalized in March.
The rabies victim, a 19-year-old female of Oecusse, East Timor, was apparently bitten by a dog on Dec. 26, 2023. The patient did not go to a health center until March 20, 2024. She died on March 22.
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In addition to the patient’s death, the region is now reporting that at least 29 suspected cases of rabies in humans have occurred in Oecusse as of March. Six human cases in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia, in close proximity to Oecusse, have resulted in death. Nearly all cases of rabies result in death after the onset of symptoms.
Only a handful of humans have ever survived the onset of rabies symptoms. Among them is Jeanna Geise, and the Milwaukee Protocol practiced in her case of the disease is now recognized as a means of beating rabies in those without the necessary vaccinations, according to Nature.
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But the case in Timor-Leste sheds light on another concern: the slow process of sharing medical information and the accuracy of that information. (RELATED: ‘It’s Just A Matter Of Time’: Scientists Issue Warning As Deadly, Ebola-Like Virus Spreads)
It feels bizarre to me, a Layman, that the WHO would classify the country as “rabies free” when it, by definition, is not. What other parts of the world are labeled as safe, disease-free or even crime-free by unelected authoritarian bodies, when the reality is much different?
Perhaps it would be better if we all judged situations for ourselves with all of the available data instead of letting someone we don’t know make decisions for us? This is just a wild idea I had for these, the final days of democracy.