DOH aims for rabies-free PHL by 2020

With March being National Rabies Awareness Month, the Department of Health (DOH) said it is working with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and local government units (LGUs) to make the Philippines rabies-free by 2020.

In DOH’s definition, rabies is “a human infection that occurs after a transdermal bite or scratch by an infected animal.”

According to the World Health Organization, the Philippines is one of the top ten countries in terms of rabies incidence , with the viral disease claiming 200 – 300 lives in the country per year. In 2015 alone, DOH recorded 220 deaths.

WHO further reported that a third of the deaths are among children below 15 years old. In 2010 there were 266,220 cases of animal bites. The year after, cases rose to 328,459. Half of the cases were among school children.

The DOH expects its Rabies Prevention and Control Program to prevent 100 percent of cases in the country. The main strategy is to prevent human rabies by providing free post-exposure prophylaxis to animal bite centers and free pre-exposure prophylaxis to areas and schools with high risk of incidence.

These free vaccines are available in over 365 animal bite centers strategically placed around the country.

Based on the DA’s data, 98 percent of animal rabies in the Philippines are from dogs.

However, Dr. Nielsen Donato said in an interview on News To Go that any warm-blooded animal can transmit rabies.

“Puwedeng daga, pusa and rabbits. Sa ibang bansa, pati buwitre na kumakain ng rabid animals ay mayroong rabies,” the veterinarian turned "Born to be Wild" host said.

The rabies virus is commonly found in the saliva of warm-blooded animals. A nick or scratch exposed to the saliva of an infected animal can be fatal.

DOH’s program further strengthens Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, which mandates every owner to practice responsible pet ownership and vaccinate their pets against rabies.

Donato said a dog should be vaccinated when it reaches 3 months old. From then, dogs have to be re-vaccinated every year.

The rabies virus attacks the human nervous system. To this day, no cure has been discovered.

“Ang rabies wala pang gamot ‘yan, kapag tinamaan ka ng rabies, you cannot reverse it,” Donato said.

Meanwhile, DA’s Bureau of Animal industry together with LGUs are also doing their part by visiting every island in the country and providing them with free pet vaccinations.

DOH’s program, however, does not end with free vaccines. It is part of their plan to train medical doctors, veterinarians and registered nurses in ways on how to deal with the rabies virus. — Kiersnerr Gerwin Tacadena/BM, GMA News