ILOILO – The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is urging pet owners to be responsible enough, citing the rising trend in animal bite cases. In the first six months of the year, recorded cases already reached 24,682.
“Ang data halin sang 2017 asta 2023 nagapakita nga ang animal bite cases naton sige lang ang pagsaka, wala pagnubo,” said IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon.
Most patients were bitten by their pet dogs or cats.
“Based sa aton paglibot sa mga animal bite treatment centers, nakita sang program managers nga ang kalabanan sang cases were bitten by their pet dogs, and mostly kapila ka beses ginakagat sang the same pet,” added Quiñon.
Because of this, the IPHO is campaigning for responsible pet ownership – giving pets anti-rabies vaccines, tying them up, or putting them in cages so they don’t go out and mix with other animals from which they could contract rabies.
Here’s the breakdown of animal bite cases in the province from 2017 until the first semester of this year:
* 2017 – 35,573
* 2018 – 28,499
* 2019 – 20,817
* 2020 – 34,692
* 2021 – 40,183
* 2022 – 46,308
* 2023 – 24,682
Human rabies deaths since 2017 until the first semester of this year were the following:
* 2023 – two deaths
* 2022 – four deaths
* 2021 – 12 deaths
* 2020 – seven deaths
* 2019 – three deaths
* 2018 – three deaths
* 2017 – one death
The Department of Health and the Iloilo provincial government have procured anti-rabies vaccines. But since many avail themselves of the vaccines in animal bite centers, supplies are gradually depleting.
IPHO data showed that the following district hospitals had the most number of treated animal bite cases this year: Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan – 2,105; Don Valerio Palmares Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Passi City – 1,804; Rep. Pedro G. Trono Memorial Hospital in Guimbal – 1,634; Ramon D. Duremdes District Hospital in Dumangas – 1,576; and Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital in Cabatuan – 1,349.
Of the animal bite treatment centers in rural health units (RHUs), the following towns had the most number of treated animal bites: Santa Barbara – 1,234; Oton – 1,151; Pavia – 919; Carles – 829; Zarraga – 830; and San Joaquin – 851.
Quiñon said the province has 25 animal bite treatment centers, of which 12 are in district hospitals and 13 are in the towns of Santa Barbara, Oton, Carles, Pavia, Zarraga, Miag-ao, San Dionisio, Concepcion, Lemery, San Joaquin, Alimodian, and Maasin./PN
