Hello, I'm contemplating moving to Bali with my family for 2-3 years to head up a company. I’ve heard about tropical and other diseases in Indonesia: Malaria, Dengue Fever, Avian Virus etc.. Are any of these or other tropical diseases present on Bali? I also heard that rabies is a problem in Indonesia…is this a problem on Bali, especially with dogs or monkeys? Thanks so much, Chris
Health Questions
pollyanna
Member
Chris,
I’m not a doctor but as far as I know we do not have malaria in Bali. We do have dengue fever. I don’t know whether we have avian virus. Rabies was an issue but is close to being eradicated. I understand your alarm or concerns about health issues in Bali but my impression is that people seem healthier than those in the west.
A bigger issue is health care. The hospitals are not up to the standard you would be accustomed to and you will want a good health insurance policy with evacuation coverage in the event of a serious illness or accident.
I’m not a doctor but as far as I know we do not have malaria in Bali. We do have dengue fever. I don’t know whether we have avian virus. Rabies was an issue but is close to being eradicated. I understand your alarm or concerns about health issues in Bali but my impression is that people seem healthier than those in the west.
A bigger issue is health care. The hospitals are not up to the standard you would be accustomed to and you will want a good health insurance policy with evacuation coverage in the event of a serious illness or accident.
phil170258
Member
Our pembantu, who has been sick, says that the doctor diagnosed her with malaria. As she doesn't speak English I wonder if she really has Dengue, and uses 'malaria' is a sort of generic term for mosquito born disease.
sakumabali
Well-Known Member
Hi Chris,
welcome to the forum!
I see it the other way around
Hospitals: getting more & more these days, they're building a HUGE new international hospital in Jimbaran. My wife had a tumor in her throat some years ago and we went to a private hospital in Denpasar, excellent work...but you want to be insured as it is not cheap, if they've to fly somebody to Singapore you can pay easily some hundred thousond of dollars so check if your insurance cover this.
Disesases: yes they probably all exists, Dengue fever but also Malaria...some people get / got it often others not at all. Re rabies: some guy told me the other day that Bali is still the place with the most rabies cases on earth (maybe km2 - case ratio), the rest of indonesia is muslim so they don't have many dogs, Bali is hindu they have dogs but often no clue how to handle them. In some villages there are people who have difficulties to feed themselves and their families - but they often have 3-5 dogs who must feed themselves...it is true that the rabies has been extincted mostly (I'm still scared when I'm thinking about that wild dog story happen to me in Kuta 10 years ago in the night - truly a nightmare!) in the touristic south but there's much more still to do
welcome to the forum!
I see it the other way around
Hospitals: getting more & more these days, they're building a HUGE new international hospital in Jimbaran. My wife had a tumor in her throat some years ago and we went to a private hospital in Denpasar, excellent work...but you want to be insured as it is not cheap, if they've to fly somebody to Singapore you can pay easily some hundred thousond of dollars so check if your insurance cover this.
Disesases: yes they probably all exists, Dengue fever but also Malaria...some people get / got it often others not at all. Re rabies: some guy told me the other day that Bali is still the place with the most rabies cases on earth (maybe km2 - case ratio), the rest of indonesia is muslim so they don't have many dogs, Bali is hindu they have dogs but often no clue how to handle them. In some villages there are people who have difficulties to feed themselves and their families - but they often have 3-5 dogs who must feed themselves...it is true that the rabies has been extincted mostly (I'm still scared when I'm thinking about that wild dog story happen to me in Kuta 10 years ago in the night - truly a nightmare!) in the touristic south but there's much more still to do
Last edited:
sakumabali
Well-Known Member
These doctors here in Indonesia (and in all the other tropical countries too) knows ten times more about malaria / dengue fever than our western doctors...
I don't know where you are from Chris, but the large urban hospitals in the U.S. have travel clinics that can check out all destinations, review your potential exposure and provide shots or medicine as prevention. Malaria prevention must be started at least 6 weeks in advance of your trip, but as others have noted it is not a problem in Bali, but is in Java.
Rabies inoculation can be had here. It is a series of 3 shots in the upper arm and a booster after one year, and no more painful than a flu shot.
We have it all here! Maleria cases are rare now, although I still remember an Australian school teacher who died from it 20 years ago. Dengue Fever is our biggest one, hits so many people, mainly adults, the kids must get used to wearing insect repellent everyday, as soon as they shower/bath and when the get out of the pool. Soffell may be the easiest one for children as it doesn't smell and a bit like putting on moisturizer.
Note: just so you are aware in advance, and don't have to pull your children out of Bali earlier than the 2-3 years, we have pollution, in a lot of areas garbage is disposed of by burning it in the drains, this includes plastics. This is something that was of great concern to another father on this forum and he is taking his children out of Bali just for that reason.
Now, I don't want to put you off but maybe you need to be aware that we also have earthquakes (often over 6), typhoid (must get vaccinated for that), active volcano's. We've have had a green cobra and a Javanese spitting cobra in our garden in the past month, cheeky monkeys that if you are in an area where building works are going on they can come down to visit, wild dogs (currently 9 large ones in our street and none vaccinated for rabies, yet no foaming at the mouth as yet), very large lizards that the locals joke are Komodo Dragons (I wouldn't let your kids get close enough to check). It's exciting isn't it!
I believe Bali is a place that you either love living and accept it for it's little dangers and surprises (oh, I forgot to mention the locals, they can be a surprise, things are dealt with differently here so you either work with it or against it and to those that work against it is usually get completely frustrated and leave early).
Its a fun place to live, yes it has its dangers but it depends on you completely as to what you call a danger, as a lot of people raise their children here and wouldn't raise them anywhere else. Others feel that a Western Country is safer, where their kids are locked inside in front a computer or TV all day.
Dick Rector
Member
Re Hospitals: BROS Hospital in Renon is very up-to-date and professional. I would not even think of going to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur for a treatment if needed (only for shopping). Don't let you get put off by all sort of story's. You will find malaria, rabies, yellow fever etc. even in Europe or America.
sakumabali
Well-Known Member
Hi Georgie, wow you had a spitting cobra in your garden? Happened to me just once in west bali...and I don't need that again
Yeah, spat at the cat (right in the eyes from 2 metres away), the poor cats second eyelids have closed over, looks like it has cataracts, the vet says it will be okay with its drops. They are nasty little buggers, I mean we get snakes every month and I put them outside but these guys attack and slide under the doors. First discovered by my mother, we came home to find her standing on the couch with our puppy in her arms, she said she's been there for at least an hour. It wasn't' under the couch when we arrived but she said that's where she first discovered it.
Sorry to hear that, Bali is our only home so we don't have anywhere else to recover for things. I religiously put on repellent (will probably have a DEET overdose sometime down the track). Hope you get better soon.
phil170258
Member
So does anybody have the definitive answer: is there malaria in Bali or not?
Georgie Please!
You would scare the s... out of Godzilla! Every place global has dangers real or imagined. Think of this person as trying to get legitimate info. that has statistical reality. Bali is probably no worse (albeit different) than where these people are now.
You would scare the s... out of Godzilla! Every place global has dangers real or imagined. Think of this person as trying to get legitimate info. that has statistical reality. Bali is probably no worse (albeit different) than where these people are now.
sakumabali
Well-Known Member
the wife of my brother in law had malaria & dengue fever together, so the doctors said, definitive answer: maybe (probably yes), I'm here 8 years and I'm ok never had anything, I'm even not using a repellent (only if I go to the jungle) but I have mosquito nets in every window of my house.
Sorry, but I cant see where my information is not legitimate. And if no-one tells the OP of the other things we have here do we have another case of a father pulling his children out of Bali due to other dangers.
Statistically, the cases of Dengue have been higher than cases of Maleria in recent times (dengue has no preventive medication so posses a greater threat)
Statistically, we do have earthquakes
Statistically, we do have active volcanos,
Statistically, we do have Rabies dogs (have not heard of a Monkey with Rabies as yet)
Statistically, we do have Cobras (our vet had to remove 3 from her front yard in the past month as well)
Statistically, we do have rubbish burning, not in all areas, but many, too many unfortunately.
You can find these stats all over the internet, or ask people who live here like us, there was some humor in my reply as I take it all as part of living here and take preventative measures for Dengue but I can't do much about the rest.
ronb
Well-Known Member
I think the last earthquake in Bali that was over 6 was in 1976 near Seririt. See some discussion at https://balipod.com/forum/threads/earthquakes-in-bali.3236/
So earthquakes over 6 do happen, but "once every 50 years" is hardly what one would describe as "often".
Huh??? I'm I dreaming these earthquakes?
Doesn't the one last October count. I thought if they were off the coast of Bali, that was still Bali, put it this way, we had to replace our ceiling so to me it counts and I believe it was a 6.8, now I'm confused
Then the year before If I remember a 6.6 of Nusa Dua
And 6.4 a few years ago, I remember it going on for longer than any other, and the noise was incredible, I believe it was around Nusa Dua as well.
Being on the Bukit we felt them all and had damage to our house on each occurrence so can you explain how there has not been one in over 50 years, am I missing something?
Okay, did some reading and all the news reports say 13 October 2011 was a 6.8., however USGS lists it as a 6.1
M6.1 – South of Bali, Indonesia
News reports of the one I felt like it was the strongest (presume as it was so much closer and shallower) is 6.4 but lists as a 5.8 in their records.
Anyway, I wasn't out to scare anyone, just making note that there are a few more things besides Maleria, and I read the link ronb attached and I note he mentions the cobra's are more of a worry to him than a quake. So everyone has their own things that they worry more about than some. Mine is Dengue personally.
We shake a lot on top of the Bukit so maybe we notice them a lot more when our house starts falling down around us.
M6.1 – South of Bali, Indonesia
News reports of the one I felt like it was the strongest (presume as it was so much closer and shallower) is 6.4 but lists as a 5.8 in their records.
Anyway, I wasn't out to scare anyone, just making note that there are a few more things besides Maleria, and I read the link ronb attached and I note he mentions the cobra's are more of a worry to him than a quake. So everyone has their own things that they worry more about than some. Mine is Dengue personally.
We shake a lot on top of the Bukit so maybe we notice them a lot more when our house starts falling down around us.
ronb
Well-Known Member
Yes, you are right - the Oct 13 2011 was a 6.1 but it was 100 Km from Denpasar. The Jul 14 1976 quake was a 6.5 but was only 6 Km from Seririt where much of the damage was. If you ask the USGS database (which has from around 1972 till now) how many quakes over 6 within 100 KM of DPS there was only that one, but if you extend the range to 300 Km there are about 16. But 300 Km is a long way away for an earthquake.