BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Negros Occidental is blaming the low rate of vaccination among the animal population, particularly dogs, as the reason behind the rising cases of rabies in the province.
In 2021 the PHO recorded over 21,000 animal bite cases while as of October of this year, it recorded over 14,000 cases already, said Rafael Marmolejo III, PHO’s Provincial Nurse Coordinator.
Eighty to 85 percent of the animal bites were from dogs, he said.
Marmolejo pointed out that from 2020 to 2021, during the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of animals being vaccinated against rabies dropped drastically.
Records also showed that in 2021, the province had four confirmed rabies cases, while as of Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, the number of rabies cases was at 20.
The confirmed cases were all verified laboratory results.
Earlier on Monday, the PHO said they recorded nine suspected and one confirmed deaths due to rabies, with the latest fatality being a six-year-old child from San Carlos City.
According to Marmolejo, the nine deaths were tagged as suspected because they showed symptoms such as hydrophobia, or fear of water.
A rabies case or death can only be tagged as confirmed if the patient’s laboratory test results were verified by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The nine suspected and one confirmed rabies deaths were all bitten by dogs.
According to Marmolejo, the proper treatment for an animal bite is to wash the wound using running water and soap for 10 to 15 minutes.
After washing the wound, apply betadine and immediately go to the nearest animal bite center or health center to receive the rabies vaccine.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the first symptoms of rabies may be similar to the flu, including weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. There may also be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. These symptoms may last for days.
Symptoms then progress to cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, and agitation. As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, hydrophobia (fear of water), and insomnia. The acute period of disease typically ends after two to 10 days.
Rabies is also known to be a 100 percent fatal virus, with fewer than 20 documented cases worldwide surviving the virus./PN
