By EUGENE ADIONG
BACOLOD City — Legislative councils across Negros Occidental, including the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, were urged to pass ordinances on responsible dog ownership primarily to prevent the spread of rabies.
An ordinance may be needed to require dog owners in the province to have their pets vaccinated against rabies, Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief Dr. Ernell Tumimbang yesterday said.
“If their dog bites someone, they (dog owners) should be required to shoulder at least half of the cost of vaccination (of the victim),” said Tumimbang.
On the other hand, if the dogs were unvaccinated, their owners “should pay the total cost of the four required vaccines for the victim,” he stressed.
Tumimbang lamented that some people still stick to “traditional ways” to cure animal bites, especially dog bites.
Instead of having themselves checked up by a physician and vaccinated, “they put garlic on the bitten area or (resort to) tandok,” he said.
Health officials have advised against tandok, the use of a horn of a deer or carabao supposedly to suck out rabies virus from an animal bite.
Meanwhile, the provincial government is buying 500,000 vials of rabies vaccines to be distributed to animal bite centers in local government units, Tumimbang said.
Animal bite centers can provide up to two of the four required vaccines. “The others have to be shouldered by the victims,” he said.
There were 4,648 animal bite cases in Negros Occidental during the first quarter of this year, according to PHO.
Of the total cases, 2,090 were 15 years old and below while 2,558 were above 15 years old, records showed.
“Most of the victims live in far-flung areas, where there is poor access to anti-rabies vaccines,” Tumimbang said./PN
