SAN JOSE, Antique – The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is wary about not reaching its target of vaccinating around 28,723 dogs this year due to shortage of anti-rabies shots.
PVO canine rabies coordinator Manolito Delgado said the Department of Agriculture -Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) recently informed him that the allocation for the province is only 500 vials of anti-rabies vaccines for 2019.
According to Delgado, the province has vaccinated more than 3,901 dogs from January to Aug. 28 this year. The dog population in the province is 41,033 and 70 percent or 28,723 of that number is targeted for vaccination this year.
In 2018, PVO had received 4,000 vials of Rabicine vaccine, which they used in their massive dog vaccination.
The dog population last year totaled 53,719 heads.
Delgado said this year, there are only 500 vials and could only vaccinate 5,000 dogs.
“We urged the local government units in the province to make their own purchase of vaccines so that we could still realize the target for this year,” Delgado said.
He added that vaccination is important considering that there is already one suspected human death due to rabies in Pandan town.
“We also have already sent five heads of dogs for laboratory examination at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Iloilo city but good that only one turned out to be positive,” Delgado said.
That person bitten by the dog that turned out to be positive of rabies is in Patnongon town. The patient was also able to seek immediate treatment.
Delgado added that of the 18 total municipalities in the province, only the towns of Culasi, Valderrama, Sibalom, Anini-y, and Hamtic were able to allocate funds to buy anti-rabies vaccine this year. (With a report from PNA/PN)
