ILOILO – Since Jan. 1 this year the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) recorded 16 rabid dogs.
These dogs were in the municipalities of Alimodian (three), Miag-ao and Oton (two each), and Guimbal, Santa Barbara, Pavia, Cabatuan, Calinog, Maasin, Dingle, Dumangas, and Concepcion (one each).
According to Dr. Darel Tabuada, veterinarian IV at PVO, the 16 dogs were caught and their heads analyzed at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City; all tested positive for the rabies virus.
The dogs either got bitten by other rabid dogs or bit people, he added.
Tabuada expressed hope that the number of rabid dogs in the province would not surge, citing the PVO’s widened campaign for responsible pet ownership and mass dog vaccination against rabies.
He also pressed for the leashing of all dogs.
“Dapat i-limit ang layaw (stray) nga ido sa dalan kay sila ang main reservoir sang rabies sa community,” explained Tabuada.
Rabies is a 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.
In the Philippines, dogs account for 98 percent of rabies infection, cats account for the remaining two percent, according to the Department of Health.
The 2018 PVO data showed 68.7 percent or 173,672 of the 252,976 dog population in this province underwent anti-rabies vaccination.
Last year’s data also showed there were 77 recorded rabid dogs – higher than the 40 reported in 2017.
The five municipalities with the most number of rabid dogs last year were Santa Barbara (11), San Miguel (8), Cabatuan and Alimodian (four each), and Anilao (3).
Rabies is a serious public health problem. 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.
The rabies virus primarily affects the central nervous system. The early symptoms of rabies in people bitten by animals such as dogs 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)./PN
