The city government of Makati on Friday urged residents to have their pets vaccinated following reports on the shortage of available human anti-rabies vaccines in the country.
“Apart from the expensive cost of human anti-rabies vaccines, the shortage could translate to fatalities if patients do not receive immediate treatment. The only thing we can do right now is to prevent cases of rabies in humans by making sure that our pets are vaccinated,” Mayor Abigail Binay said.
Binay said the lack of human rabies vaccines is alarming since the fatality rate is 100 percent. She added she is asking all residents to take advantage of the city’s anti-rabies program and have pets vaccinated for free—at the soonest time possible.
Reports showed that the Philippines was listed number six among the countries which still have reported cases of rabies, with around 200 to 500 people dying from the illness annually.
It also showed that 30 to 60 percent of the victims were children under the age of 15.
Most of these deaths are caused by the lack of prevention measures, such as dogs not being vaccinated against the disease, lack of treatment after an animal bite, or misconceptions such as the belief that pouring vinegar on an animal bite will kill the rabies virus.
In its website, the Rabiesawareness.com stated that rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system of mammals, including humans. Animals and people can get rabies when they come into contact with the saliva of, or most often through the bite of an infected animal.
The Department of Health recently confirmed the global shortage of human rabies vaccines.
On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that his department will intensify its anti-rabies vaccination program for dogs in response to the problem. He also encouraged local government units to step up their dog anti-rabies immunization campaigns and promote responsible pet ownership.
Rabies eradication is one of the key programs of Makati City government under the Binay administration. There are roughly 32,000 cats and dogs registered in the city’s database. The city runs a year-round pet immunization program and also launched a pet microchipping project in October 2017.
The pet microchips help pet owners avoid the cost of redundant rabies vaccinations. Each microchip contains a unique 15-digit code readable with a microchip scanner, and gives veterinarians access to a pet's vaccination records for them to determine whether or not a pet needs to be given anti-rabies shots after biting a human, and if there is a need for the bite victim to be vaccinated against rabies.
Binay directed Makati Veterinary Services Office chief Katherina Mangahas to come up with public awareness on rabies prevention.
The VSO is currently conducting house-to-house vaccination campaigns in Barangays Comembo, Sta. Cruz, and San Isidro. The program will continue until all pets in the said areas have been injected with the vaccine.
The VSO has been knocking on doors at various barangays since the last quarter of 2017. Anti-rabies shots for pets are also part of the social and health services offered to residents at the scheduled Lingkod Bayan Caravans.
Pet owners are encouraged to bring dogs and cats for vaccination to either of the VSO's district offices Mondays to Fridays.
For District I, pet owners may proceed to the City Pound at Malugay St. Barangay San Antonio while residents of District II may go to the Vet office at Cadena de Amor St. Barangay Pembo.
Residents may also call the VSO Offices at 8897949 and 8341166 for scheduling and inquiries.