The Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) embarked on an 8-point strategy against rabies in the region to ensure the safety of people being bitten by rabid animals and to guarantee the vaccination of dogs and cats with the appropriate vaccines.
Kristine Gale S. Raguindin, Nurse 3 of the DOH-CAR’s Disease Prevention and Control Cluster, said that among the adopted strategies include the reduction of mortality rate with 90 percent post-exposure prophylaxis completion rate; 40 percent rabies immunoglobulin coverage; 90 percent of bite victims washed with soap and water; support to mass dog vaccination program of the Department of Agriculture (DA); advocacy campaign on rabies, especially during the Rabies Prevention Month in March and the World Rabies Day in September; provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment to high risk personnel and post-exposure prophylaxis to animal bite victims through animal bite treatment centers; capacity building and technical support in the establishment of animal bite centers and establishment of a central base system for registered and vaccinated dogs.
She claimed that there are already 30 established animal bite treatment centers in the different parts of the region with Benguet having the highest with 7 followed by Apayao with 6; Abra – 5 and Baguio City, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province – 3 each.
The DOH-CAR nurse explained that one can get rabies from bites from infected animals which is the most common mode of transmission. It can also be contracted through scratches, abrasions or open wounds that come into contact with the saliva of infected animals.
The initial symptoms of rabies are similar to flu, including fever, headache and general weakness. It eventually progresses to paralysis, confusion and hydrophobia.
According to her, the immediate intervention and treatment include extensive wound washing with water and salt and immediately seek medical treatment.
Raguindin stated that the treatment includes anti-rabies vaccine and anti-tetanus serum for category II and III bite classifications.
Based on the data obtained from the DOH-CAR, there was a peak in rabies cases in the region in 2019 with 6 followed by steadiness from 2020 to 2022 with only 2 cases, and a subsequent increase in 2023 with 4 cases which came from Abra, Apayao and Mountain Province and only 1 case for the current year.
The DOH-CAR noted that all cases are caused by dogs as the biting animal where category III bite classification had the highest exposure history among the reported rabies cases. By Dexter A. See