Five die of rabies in Albay – reports
LEGAZPI CITY: The Provincial Health Office of Albay expressed alarm following reports by the Albay Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU) that five residents died due to rabies in a span of two months.
PESU coordinator Jan Edmund Dominic Bailon said the deaths are already a cause of concern with five previous deaths from the same viral disease.
Bailon has urged the veterinary offices to coordinate and retrain the vaccinators to go after unvaccinated dogs and remind pet owners to be responsible.
Bailon said that two persons died in Pio Duran, one each from Jovellar, Bacacay and Tiwi.
The Department of Health Center for Health Development (DoHCHD) Bicol has called for action, awareness and responsibility of dog owners to prevent similar incidents.
Just this week, the Albay Provincial Health Office (APHO) confirmed the death of a nine-year old child due to rabies in Pio Duran, Albay.
According to DoH-CHD, rabies is one of the most dangerous diseases and has a 99 percent case fatality rate, especially if a person is bitten in “critical areas” such as the face, arms and thighs.
The DoH warned the public that rabies is fatal but can be prevented by prompt, appropriate medical attention and vaccination.
In 2018, 11 persons were reported killed by rabies, 27 in 2019, 26 in 2020, 35 in 2021, 16 in 2022 and 26 in 2023, based on DoH-CHD records.
Currently, Ruby Dizon-Jeremias, DoH regional rabies coordinator, is collating data on rabies cases in the region this year.
In celebration of Rabies Awareness Month, the DoHCHD, in partnership with APHO and Albay Provincial Veterinary Office, will be conducting a town hall meeting with the theme “Rabies: One Health, Zero Death” with various stakeholders on March 14, 2024, at the Albay Provincial Agriculture Office in Camalig.
Focusing on rabies response and control programs, the activity aims to equip all concerned agencies, local government units (LGUs), and stakeholders with “one health response” to rabies and its fatality.
Local ordinances related to responsible pet ownership and other rabies-related concerns will be discussed for adoption and implementation in the cities, municipalities and provincial levels including the grassroot areas. Agreements on arising issues and concerns will also be addressed.
Municipal health and agriculture officers and barangay health workers and officials will be invited to participate to review their respective roles and responsibilities and streamline the importance of collaboration in the realization of the “One Health, Zero Death” campaign of DoH-CHD.
The same town hall meeting for the provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon are scheduled for the succeeding months.
It can be recalled that in January 2024, the APHO recorded two rabies cases resulting in fatalities and affecting over 60 close contacts. Immediate contact tracing, mass vaccination, and orientation activities were conducted in coordination with the municipal health offices of Pio Duran and Jovellar.
Both cases were officially declared closed and contained by the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit on Feb. 12, 2024.
The DoH-CHD, in close coordination with APHO, continuously monitors and investigates rabies cases while intensifying its call for action, awareness and responsibility to avoid recurring incidents.
The DoH-CHD reminded the public to have their pets vaccinated.
For incidents of animal bites and rabies virus exposure, wash the wound immediately with soap and running water for at least 10 minutes and immediately seek treatment and anti-rabies vaccination from the nearest health facility or animal bite treatment centers.