Rabies in Bali and Lombok: Vaccines and What to Do If Bitten

6 November 2026

If you are planning a trip to Bali or Lombok, you may be wondering whether you need a rabies vaccine, or whether it is safe to get close to dogs and monkeys. The worry is natural if you are travelling with young children, who may reach out to a friendly-looking dog or monkey before you can stop them.

The short answer: for most travellers Indonesia does not require any vaccination to enter. The one exception in the World Health Organization (WHO) country list is yellow fever, and only for travellers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Rabies is not something to fear if you keep your distance from animals, but it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) counts 26 of the country’s 38 provinces as rabies-endemic. The risk is not zero, and we want to be clear about that.

This article draws on public information from WHO, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and the Bali Provincial Health Office (as reported by the state news agency ANTARA). It covers the rabies situation in Bali and across Indonesia, the vaccines worth discussing with a clinic, what to do if an animal bites or scratches you, and dengue, which is spread by mosquitoes. Public data specific to Lombok is limited, and where we could not confirm something we say so rather than guess.

Always make medical decisions with a doctor or travel clinic. This article is meant to help you work out what to look into and who to ask before your trip. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not decide whether you should be vaccinated.

Information as of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Which vaccinations Indonesia requires at entry (for most travellers, none)
✓What official sources say about rabies in Bali and Indonesia, and what is and is not known about Lombok
✓The steps to take, in order, if an animal bites or scratches you
✓Vaccines worth discussing with a clinic, and how to prepare for dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases
✓What families with children and long-stay travellers should do before departure

In short

Most travellers need no vaccination to enter Indonesia (yellow fever proof is required only if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk), and the basic rule for rabies is simple: do not approach or touch animals. WHO recommends pre-exposure rabies vaccination for travellers to rabies-endemic areas, so if you expect contact with animals, are travelling with children or plan a long stay, discuss it with a travel clinic well before you leave. If an animal bites or scratches you, wash the wound with soap and water for about 15 minutes straight away and see a doctor the same day, even if you feel fine.

Contents

What rabies is, and the situation in Bali and Indonesia

Rabies is a viral disease passed from mammals to humans, usually through a bite or scratch. WHO says bites from rabid dogs cause up to 99 percent of human cases, and that people have also caught rabies from cats, bats and other mammals; rabies from monkey and rat bites is rare worldwide. Symptoms usually appear two to three months after infection, though it can be a few days or more than six months. They include fear of water (hydrophobia) and fear of air (aerophobia), and once symptoms appear, human rabies is almost always fatal.

Rabies is also preventable. WHO estimates that about 59,000 people die of rabies each year, mostly in Asia and Africa, and says washing the wound is the most effective first aid. Prompt wound care and vaccination after exposure can stop the disease from developing. In other words, two rules do most of the work: do not touch animals, and act immediately if you are bitten or scratched.

For Indonesia as a whole, the Ministry of Health reported 185,359 bites by animals that can carry rabies and 122 human rabies deaths in 2024, and 13,453 bites and 25 deaths between 1 January and 7 March 2025. Its March 2025 circular identifies 26 of Indonesia’s 38 provinces as rabies-endemic. In Bali, the ministry reported 22 rabies deaths and 34,858 bite cases in 2022. In August 2026 the Bali Provincial Health Office said there had been seven rabies deaths and 45,365 bite cases from January to August that year, and that the deaths were mainly people who did not go to a health facility after being bitten. It advised avoiding bites, especially from stray dogs, and going to a health facility straight away if bitten.

For Lombok, which is in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province, we found less. In 2019 the Ministry of Health reported a rabies outbreak in NTB, with Dompu and Sumbawa regencies, both on the neighbouring island of Sumbawa, declared outbreak areas. In the sources we read, we found no ministry statement or statistics on rabies on Lombok island itself, and the March 2025 circular does not name the 26 endemic provinces in its text. Lombok has not been shown to be either especially safe or especially risky, so the practical approach is to prepare on the assumption that rabies is present in Indonesia.

What to do if an animal bites or scratches you

If a dog, cat, monkey or other animal bites or scratches you, take the following steps even if the wound is small and you feel fine. They are based on WHO guidance and on Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.

Steps to take after an animal bite or scratch

1. Wash the wound straight away: wash and flush it with soap or detergent and plenty of running water for about 15 minutes. WHO calls wound washing the most effective first aid against rabies, and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health gives the same advice.
2. See a doctor the same day: go to a health facility as soon as possible. In Bali, the provincial government has set up Rabies Centres in all community health centres (puskesmas) and in several hospitals. Do not wait to see whether symptoms develop.
3. Follow the doctor on vaccines: health staff decide what you need. According to WHO, this is a course of rabies vaccine and, for more serious exposures, rabies immunoglobulin as well. People who were vaccinated before the trip still need care, but fewer doses and no immunoglobulin, so tell the doctor whether you had pre-exposure vaccination.
4. Check your travel insurance: before you travel, check whether your policy covers treatment and emergency evacuation. If you are going to rural areas, evacuation cover is worth looking at closely.
5. Finish the course after you get home: if you fly home part-way through the vaccine course, or could not get full treatment locally, see a doctor at home promptly and bring any record of the doses you received.

Figure: What to do after an animal bite or scratch

Figure: Based on WHO guidance and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.

Children need extra care. WHO notes that children are at higher risk of rabies because they often play with animals, and a child may not notice a small scratch or may not tell a parent about it. During the trip, avoid taking photos close to animals or feeding them, and agree as a family on a simple rule before you go: look, but do not touch.

Vaccines worth discussing with a travel clinic

WHO’s travel advice divides vaccines into routine vaccines that everyone should have up to date and vaccines for selective use, depending on the destination and the trip. The table below lists the ones most often discussed for a trip to Bali and Lombok. None of them is required for entry to Indonesia (except yellow fever, as above); they are vaccines to discuss. Which ones you need depends on how you travel, how long you stay and your health, so a consultation with a travel clinic is the starting point.

← Scroll the table sideways

Vaccine	In WHO’s travel advice	What to ask the clinic
Measles, tetanus, hepatitis B and other routine vaccines	Routine	Whether your routine vaccinations are up to date for your age
Hepatitis A	Selective use	Whether it is advised for your trip and where you will eat
Typhoid	Selective use	Whether it is advised for your trip
Japanese encephalitis	Selective use	Whether it applies to long stays or time in rural areas
Rabies (pre-exposure)	Selective use; recommended for travellers to rabies-endemic areas	Whether it makes sense if you expect contact with animals, travel with children or stay long
Yellow fever	Selective use	Proof is required by Indonesia only if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk (aged 9 months or over)

*Compiled from WHO “Vaccines and travel”, WHO “Frequently asked questions about rabies for the general public” and WHO “International travel and health” country list (Indonesia). Ask a doctor for the final decision.

It is tempting to think you can get any missing vaccine once you arrive. We could not confirm which vaccines a given clinic on Bali or Lombok keeps in stock, and in rural Lombok there are few clinics to begin with. It is more reliable to finish any vaccines you are considering, rabies included, before you leave home.

Timing and when to see a clinic

Some vaccines need more than one dose, so see a travel clinic as soon as your trip is booked. For rabies pre-exposure vaccination, WHO’s 2018 position is a course of two visits, on day 0 and day 7, so even this one vaccine needs at least a week, and other vaccines may need longer. If you want the whole family vaccinated before a trip with children, starting early is the practical choice.

Costs depend on the vaccine, the manufacturer, the country and the clinic, and we found no figures in the official sources we used for this article. Rather than give numbers we cannot back up, we suggest asking the clinic directly when you book. Whether or not you were vaccinated before the trip, if an animal bites you, follow the steps above at once: wash the wound and see a doctor. Your vaccination history changes what treatment you need, so always tell the doctor.

Mosquito-borne diseases, especially dengue

Alongside rabies, mosquito-borne diseases are worth knowing about. Indonesia’s Ministry of Health reported 114,720 dengue cases and 894 deaths in 2023, and 210,644 cases and 1,239 deaths in 2024 up to week 43, and it links rising cases to the start of the rainy season. According to WHO, typical symptoms are a high fever (40°C), a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands and a rash. They usually start 4 to 10 days after infection and last 2 to 7 days.

Dengue is spread mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which bites during the day. WHO advises clothing that covers as much of the body as possible, repellents containing DEET, picaridin or IR3535, and removing anything that holds standing water. A second dengue infection carries a higher risk of severe dengue, so having had it once is no reason to relax. There is no specific treatment: WHO says pain can be managed with paracetamol and that NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin should be avoided because they can increase the risk of bleeding.

On vaccines, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health lists two dengue vaccines in the country: Qdenga, for ages 6 to 45, given as two doses three months apart, and Dengvaxia, only for people who have had dengue before. WHO recommends Qdenga only for children aged 6 to 16 in high-transmission settings, and the ministry notes that the vaccines do not give 100 percent protection. With a three-month gap between doses it needs planning long before a trip, so for now it is practical to treat avoiding mosquito bites as the main defence. Ask a travel clinic for the latest situation.

For malaria, the WHO country list (2022) says the risk in Indonesia is year-round in most areas of five eastern provinces (East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua), with risk in some districts elsewhere, and that Jakarta, cities, urban areas and the main tourist resorts are free of risk. Indonesia’s Ministry of Health said in June 2025 that 407 of the country’s 514 districts and cities had been declared malaria-free and that nearly 90 percent of cases are in Papua. We did not find a statement on Lombok in particular, so ask a travel clinic about your exact itinerary. Mosquito-bite prevention protects against dengue and malaria alike, and it is worth packing repellent and long sleeves early when you put together your packing list.

What families and long-stay travellers should watch for

If you are travelling with children or staying for a long time, it is worth preparing more thoroughly for both rabies and dengue than a short-stay visitor would. The reason is simple: you will be around animals and mosquitoes more often. WHO notes that children are at higher risk of rabies because they often play with animals. Young children may put up with pain without saying anything, or may not be able to tell an adult clearly that they have been scratched. Before the trip, agree as a family not to touch or feed animals, and make sure the children know to tell an adult straight away about even a small scratch. If you are planning a family trip to Lombok with children, build rabies and dengue preparation into the plan.

If you are planning a long stay, or a life split between home and Lombok, it is safer to complete any vaccines you need before you leave rather than count on finding them locally. Our guide to long stays on Lombok may help, and it is worth checking with your doctor or a travel clinic before each trip whether you need any boosters. For travel insurance, make sure a plan suited to long stays covers emergency evacuation and local treatment.

Figure: What families and long-stay travellers should do before departure

Figure: Plan vaccinations before you leave home; rabies pre-exposure vaccination alone takes two visits a week apart (WHO).

A note from Sekotong

In fishing villages like Sekotong, you will sometimes see dogs and cats that belong to local families wandering freely. They are an everyday sight for the people who live here, but for a visitor they are animals you are meeting for the first time. Even a friendly puppy or kitten that walks right up to you has a vaccination history you cannot know by looking. We think the safest approach is simply to keep your distance: do not reach out however cute it is, and do not move closer for a photo. If you have a health condition or are travelling with young children, a visit to a travel clinic before departure will let you relax more during your stay.

Healthcare access in Lombok and Sekotong

Everything above about rabies and dengue applies to Lombok in the same way as to Bali. The issue is Indonesia-wide, and we found no data suggesting Lombok is an exception. When it comes to Lombok, though, there is one more thing we want to be open about: access to healthcare.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health said in February 2025 that specialist doctors are concentrated in the big cities and that many regions still lack qualified medical staff. In practice, there is a gap between urban areas such as Jakarta or southern Bali and rural parts of Lombok. Before you go, check Lombok’s hospitals, healthcare and insurance so you know what level of care is available and where.

That is why, when you stay in a rural area like Sekotong, prevention itself, not touching animals and not getting bitten by mosquitoes, matters even more than it would in a city. The weight shifts from dealing with a problem to stopping it from happening. Because an emergency could mean transfer to a larger town or another island, check before you leave that your travel insurance includes emergency evacuation. Reading our guide on safety on Lombok alongside this one gives a fuller picture of risks beyond disease.

Before choosing between Bali and Lombok

On rabies and dengue alone, there is no major difference between Bali and Lombok. Both are part of Indonesia, and the same basics apply: avoid contact with dogs, cats and monkeys, and avoid mosquito bites. If there is a difference, it is less about the disease risk and more about how quickly you can reach medical care if something happens. Bali’s urban south, around Kuta, Seminyak and Sanur, has more hospitals and clinics used to treating visitors, and for speed of response the cities have the advantage.

To be honest, Lombok, and especially fishing-village areas in the southwest like Sekotong, has drawbacks too. Sekotong is about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport, so simply getting there takes time. The rainy season affects the weather more, and day-to-day convenience does not match Bali’s towns. If urban convenience and comprehensive medical facilities matter most to you, Bali, or the Senggigi and Mataram area of Lombok, which is closer to hospitals, will probably suit you better.

That said, if you prepare vaccinations and insurance properly beforehand, and keep your distance from animals and mosquitoes while you are there, Lombok is not especially dangerous just because it is Lombok. Because tourism is less concentrated, there are also fewer of the crowded spots, or animals used to being fed by visitors, that make contact more likely. For people looking for a quiet beach like Sekotong, with preparations made in advance, Lombok is a good option. What matters is not comparing which island is safer, but being specific about the preparations your own style of stay needs.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do I need a rabies vaccine to visit Bali or Lombok?

It is not required for entry. WHO recommends pre-exposure vaccination for travellers to rabies-endemic areas, and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health counts 26 of 38 provinces as endemic. If you are on a short sightseeing trip with no plans to handle animals, the first priority is to stick to the basic rule of not touching animals. If you are unsure, discuss it with a travel clinic before you go.

Q. Should only my children be vaccinated?

Children are more likely to approach animals and may not mention a small scratch to an adult, so it is worth considering vaccination for the whole family. The decision depends on age and timing, so ask a paediatrician or a travel clinic doctor about your own case.

Q. Is Lombok free of rabies?

We could not confirm that. In the Ministry of Health sources we read, we found no statement or statistics on rabies on Lombok island itself. The ministry did report an outbreak in 2019 in Dompu and Sumbawa, on the neighbouring island of Sumbawa in the same province. Lombok is not safe just because it is Lombok, so follow the same basic precautions as anywhere in Indonesia.

Q. Will a dengue vaccine protect me?

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health lists Qdenga (ages 6 to 45, two doses three months apart) as available in the country, but notes that dengue vaccines do not give 100 percent protection, and WHO recommends Qdenga only for children aged 6 to 16 in high-transmission settings. For now, the main defence against dengue is avoiding mosquito bites with long sleeves and repellent. Ask a travel clinic for the latest information.

Q. An animal only touched me lightly and there is no wound. Can I just wait and see?

WHO says a lick on intact skin, or touching or feeding an animal, needs only washing of the skin. If there is any scratch, graze or bite, however small, or if saliva got into your eyes, mouth or a wound, do not wait: wash it with soap and water for about 15 minutes and see a doctor the same day. If you are not sure whether the skin was broken, let a doctor decide.

In summary

For most travellers, no vaccination is required to enter Indonesia, including Bali and Lombok; yellow fever proof is needed only if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. Rabies is almost always fatal once it develops, but the basic precaution is simple: do not approach or touch animals. If you expect contact with dogs, cats or monkeys, are travelling with children or plan a long stay, discuss pre-exposure vaccination with a travel clinic well before departure. If an animal bites or scratches you, the most important thing, with or without symptoms, is to wash the wound with soap and water and see a doctor the same day.

For dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, avoiding bites is still the main defence. Because healthcare is harder to reach in rural areas like Sekotong on Lombok, preparing in advance and having the right travel insurance matter even more than in a city. This article is only meant to help you work out what to look into and who to ask before your trip. Always make the final decisions with a doctor or travel clinic.