Negros Occidental intensifies efforts to control rabies
Negros Occidental has stepped up its efforts to reduce, if not eliminate rabies, with the implementation of the Rabies Control Action Plan for 2019.
Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said on Monday, January 14, there is a need to formulate a riskbased map for rabies vaccination based on the occurrence of recorded rabies cases.
Identification of highrisk barangays in every locality will also be conducted, he added.
In 2018, canine rabies cases in the province increased by 50 percent, totaling 33 from only 22 in 2017.
There were seven human deaths in the past year.
Starting this month, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is conducting an inventory of available canine rabies vaccine in every local government unit (LGU) and checking if the towns and cities have allocated funds for vaccine procurement this year.
In February, the PVO will start presenting the rabies situation in the province and encourage support for the program during the barangay, municipal and city council meetings.
The PVO will also lobby for the allocation of budget for the procurement of canine rabies vaccines and preexposure vaccination of paravets, as well as push for the convening of the Local Rabies Control Committee to strengthen the implementation of massive dog vaccination and stray dog control.
To engage community involvement, the veterinary office will organize dog owners in every LGU mainly to encourage support for its education and information campaign.
Decena said the PVO will conduct massive dog vaccination in the surrounding barangays that serve as buffer zones to limit the spread of rabies infection.
Dogs that cannot be handled by their owners during vaccination will be recorded and subjected to impounding.