ILOILO City – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is distributing 62,900 vials of anti-rabies vaccines to different provinces in Western Visayas this quarter.
The vaccines worth P22 million were delivered recently from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Rabies is a serious public health problem in the country. 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.
Six provinces in Region 6 have allocations of vaccines depending on their dog population. These are the following:
* Aklan – 6,400 vials
* Antique – 4,000 vials
* Capiz – 6,000 vials
* Guimaras – 4,000 vials
* Iloilo – 17,000 vials
* Iloilo City – 4,000 vials
* Negros Occidental – 17,500 vials
* Bacolod City – 4,000 vials
DA regional rabies coordinator Dr. Pacifico Lumawag said these vaccines can be used to vaccinate 70 percent of the total dog population in Region 6 this 2018.
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.
Lumawag underscored the role of local government units (LGUs) in the rabies prevention campaign. They needed to strengthen efforts in rabies prevention and control as mandated by Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, he said.
“Local government units are encouraged to reactivate their respective municipal rabies control committee,” said Lumawag.
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).
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. (PIA-Iloilo/PN)
