TABUK CITY, Kalinga -The City Government of Tabuk through the City Veterinary Office (CVO) takes the lead on the campaign to eliminate rabies by going to the dogs for vaccination.
The massive anti-rabies vaccination which vaccinated 1,085 dogs from January 12 to March 14, 2017, continues on in celebration of this year’s Rabies Awareness Month with the theme ‘’RabisIwasan, Alaga’yPabakunahan’’ which culminates through a pro dog walk on March 31 at 6:30 AM from Bulanao Rotary Marker to Provincial Capitol.
According to Dr. Carmen Wanas of CVO, their office has only received five requests from the barangays. Alarmed by the poor compliance of barangays to said vaccination, Wanas added that an intensified education campaigns on responsible pet ownership and post-vaccination care are held to attain a rabies-free Cordillera by 2018 and a rabies-free Philippines in 2020.
The CVO also reports that under their beginning inventory for the first semester of 2017, 9,128 are registered. The CVO continues its house-to-house and on-station vaccination until March 30.
Wanes also advised that when bitten by a dog, wash the wound with soap and running water, disinfect wound with alcohol or tincture of iodine and immediately consult a doctor or seek the nearest dog bite center.
The CVO said that the biting dog must be leashed or confined in the cage for a two-week observation, must not be killed, and if the dog dies within 14 days, assistance of a veterinarian must be sought for proper submission of head specimen, but if the dog is alive after 14 days, have it vaccinated against rabies immediately.
According to the 2016 Merck Veterinary Manual, rabies which is caused by the Lyssaviruses in the Rhabdovirus family is highly fatal viral disease killing 300-600 Filipino per year mostly affecting children between 5-14 years old.
Ordinance No. 4, series of 2009 (Rabies and Stray Dog Control Ordinance of the City of Tabuk) authored by then councilor Alma Sandra Mejia says that it is the declared policy of the City to support the state in its goal to promote the right to health of the people by providing a system for the control, prevention of the spread, and eventual eradication of human and animal rabies by establishing the need for responsible ownership.
The ordinance also says that responsible pet ownership means submitting dogs (three months of age and older) for rabies vaccination once a year or as frequent as prescribed by the indicated literature of the vaccine. Young dogs shall likewise be vaccinated at 30 days of age to be repeated three months after old annual vaccination thereafter.
The same ordinance also prohibits the use of ‘’tandok’’ for treating dog bites.
As per records of City Health Office, there were already 270 cases of animal bite for the first two months of 2017.
By Darwin S. Serion
