“We get bullish when we hear veterinarians and other health experts say that rabies is entirely preventable”
THE recent raucous rallies against corruption in the country’s urban centers have overwhelmed an equally important health issue that has been killing hundreds of young and old for years.
Understandable, as the masses have awakened and suddenly felt they were cheated by the insatiable and corrupt public officials, enthusiastically assisted by their equally greedy accomplices in the private sector in promising flood control and school building projects, properly funded but which turned out were non-existent, incomplete at best.
This drowned out issue is this year’s 19th World Rabies Day on Sept 28, themed “Act now: You, Me, Community”– a call on you, me, and our communities to take responsibility, work together, and drive real change.
World Rabies Day is significant for raising global awareness about rabies prevention and control, and promoting community-led actions to achieve the goal of zero human rabies deaths by 2030.
This week, from the Ilocos Norte provincial capital of Laoag to as far down as towns in Mindanao, veterinarians and local officials had separately launched activities – one for the books – as they participated in exerting efforts to pull down the rung of death to zero from rabies, a major if horrifying health issue particularly in Asia and Africa.
The Philippines is seeing between 200 and 300 rabies deaths annually, although this number can vary, with a recent high of 426 deaths in 2024, with a majority of deaths occurring in children under 15 years old.
This compares with about 59,000 people who die of rabies each year worldwide, though this number is likely an underestimate due to under-reporting in affected regions.
Experts say the disease – also called hydrophobia, which literally means “fear of water” – is nearly always fatal and generally considered incurable once symptoms appear and is primarily spread through the bites of infected animals, most commonly dogs.
But the spark of hope is this can be prevented.
The key to avoiding this is early post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, which involves vaccination and immunoglobulin to stop the virus from reaching the brain before symptoms develop.
We get bullish when we hear veterinarians and other health experts say that rabies is entirely preventable through a combination of actions, including vaccinating pets and wildlife, avoiding contact with wild animals, and receiving prompt PEP after an animal bite or scratch.
Wound care, like washing with soap and water for 15 minutes after potential exposure, is a critical first step in preventing the virus from spreading to the central nervous system.
In an interview with Grinding Grains, Dr. Loida Valenzuela, Ilocos Norte’s provincial veterinarian, said: “We can achieve zero rabies mortality if owners of dogs and cats can cooperate with the authorities, by considering these pets as family members.
“They should be on deck on the pets’ requirements, which include anti-rabies-vaccination.
Collaboration between the private sector and government agencies pushing the “Zero rabies by 2030” is a potent partnership to crush rabies.”
The national government has taken steps to address rabies with The Rabies Act of 2007, which provides for PEP at established animal bite treatment centers, promotes education on rabies, and introduced animal control measures like dog vaccination and pet registration.
However, rabies deaths are preventable with prompt PEP by stopping the virus from reaching the central nervous system. PEP consists of thorough wound washing, administration of a course of human rabies vaccine and, when indicated, rabies immunoglobulins or antibodies.
The National Rabies Prevention and Control Program itself aims to eliminate human rabies by 2030 through a multi-sectoral strategy, mandated by the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007.
Key strategies include increasing dog vaccination, improving access to PEP via the Animal Bite Treatment Centers, promoting responsible pet ownership, and strengthening rabies surveillance and public awareness.
The Department of Health and local government units also implement the program, supported by agencies like the Department of Agriculture and PhilHealth, which provides coverage for PEP services.
This global strategic plan of ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 presents a coordinated, country-centric strategy which integrates rabies prevention with other healthcare interventions to strengthen health systems and engage stakeholders throughout the world in the fight to end rabies.
