DOH to begin providing full course of rabies vaccine for free

The Department of Health (DOH) is going to provide the entire course of rabies vaccine to victims this year to move toward its goal to eliminate human rabies cases in the country.

"Eight doses of rabies vaccine will now be provided for free by the Department of Health. You just have to go to the 480 animal bite centers nationwide," Health Secretary Janet Garin said during a press conference on Monday.

"Kung dati-rati, dalawa hanggang apat lang iyong libre, iyong iba binabayaran ng pasyente... starting this year, sa katas ng Sin Tax and of course as part of the Aquino health agenda, magiging libre na po ang full course, ang walong doses," she added.

In 2015, there were 432,458 animal bite cases in the country with 226 reported deaths due to rabies. 

According to World Health Organization, Philippines is one of the top 10 countries with rabies problem.

"This is sad because this is is preventable," Garin added.

"Kung ikaw ay nakagat ng alagang hayop, huwag natin itong isa walang bahala. Magpakonsulta agad sa malapit na animal bite treatment center upang malapatan ng tamang lunas," she added.

In 2014, DOH and the Department of Agriculture launched a project with the goal of eliminating rabies by 2020. —Trisha Macas/JST, GMA News