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[av_heading heading=’Lambunao has most number of rabid dogs in Iloilo ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY IME SORNITO
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Wednesday, March 7, 2018
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ILOILO – Among this province’s municipalities, Lambunao is most “high risk” for dog rabies, according to the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).
The town has the most number of rabid dogs in Iloilo, explained Dr. Silvino Teodosio, provincial veterinarian.
In 2017, 12 of the 37 rabid dogs recorded by PVO came from Lambunao.
Also, in the records of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Lambunao ranked No. 8 among municipalities in the country with high rabies cases in 2017, Teodosio revealed.
Since January this year, PVAO already recorded two rabies cases in Lambunao.
There were eight cases so far in the whole province. The five other cases were in the municipalities of Calinog, San Joaquin, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Pavia, and Leganes.
According to Teodosio, BAI deployed seven veterinarians to Lambunao to inoculate with anti-rabies vaccines some 1,000 dogs there.
The PVAO chief said the town’s dog population is now at 9,075.
But the Iloilo town with the highest dog population is Oton – 12,155, said Teodosio.
Overall, Iloilo province’s dog population already reached 251,481, he revealed.
Rabies is a highly fatal viral disease that primarily affects warm-blooded animals other than man, notably dogs, cats, rats, and bats, but which can be transmitted to humans by infected animals.
The rabies virus, which is present in the saliva of an infected animal, is passed to a human through a bite, or rarely, when the animal’s saliva gets in contact with a scratch or fresh break in the skin.
The Philippines is among the top 10 countries with the highest incidence of rabies in the world. Department of Health officials estimate that about 100,000 Filipinos are treated for dog bites and 200 to 300 die from rabies annually.
Among Filipinos, dogs account for 98 percent of rabies infection, cats account for the remaining two percent.
An infected dog can transmit the rabies virus even before it becomes ill, but it will invariably manifest signs and symptoms of rabies including change in behavior such as unprovoked aggressiveness and excitability, paralysis, and hydrophobia within five days, and die within two weeks, after it gets infected.
The rabies virus primarily affects the central nervous system. The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to those of many other infection — fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort.
As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, salivation, difficulty in swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). (PIA-Iloilo/PN)
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