Tags: Pets
By Anna Valmero
TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE— Contrary to popular belief, most rabies infection cases in humans were acquired from pet dogs and not strays, according to the Department of Health (DoH).
Between January and May this year, the agency noted that 88 percent of rabies cases came from pets. The DoH also said 76 deaths have been reported due to rabies with Central Luzon registering the highest number with 13 fatalities.
Almost half of these cases involved children aged five to 14 years old.
Official count of incidence of dog bites reached roughly 266,000 last year or 700 cases per day, resulting in 257 deaths due to rabies infection, according to the DoH National Rabies Prevention Control Program.
Worldwide, over 55,000 people die from rabies each year, mostly in Africa and Asia.
As the Philippines joins the World Rabies Day on September 28, the DoH urges pet owners to register and vaccinate their dogs to control rabies incidence and decrease its cases, said DoH regional director Edgardo Gonzaga.
“This is why it is so important to educate the public on how easy it can be to prevent rabies through animal vaccinations, being aware of the surroundings, and having available medical treatment nearby,” Gonzaga said.
Mass vaccinations for pet dogs will be held nationwide with the aim to vaccinate at least 70 percent to 80 percent of the total dog population of every municipality.
Filipinos have a low level of awareness in terms of the incubation period of the rabies virus which lasts for a few days up to five years. About 95 percent of people who have been infected by a rabid animal, however, develop the disease within a year.
Without proper knowledge, most patients are only diagnosed after symptoms show. At this point, there is no treatment and the patient usually dies within ten days.
The public is also urged to educate themselves that rabies transmission is not only limited to animal bites. Anyone handling a dead animal with the virus can be infected if they touch their eyes or lips using hands that were in contact with the animal’s fluids.
The virus spreads from the exposure site through the nervous system to the brain, eventually causing death if not immediately treated with medical care.
Gonzaga also urged the public to consult a physician instead of employing folk medicine such as tandok, which is done by placing a deer horn over the wound in belief that it would suck out the rabies virus from the injury.
Health records have shown that patients who received tandok treatment died either of rabies or tetanus.
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