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Sunday, April 02, 2006
High rabies incidence blamed on irresponsible pet ownership
IRRESPONSIBLE pet ownership remains to be the biggest hindrance to the success of the government's anti-rabies campaign.
"While awareness of rabies is increasing among Filipinos, many dog owners still do not submit their pets to anti-rabies vaccination," Dr. Frank Alivio said.
Based on the Department of Health records at the central office, there has been a decrease in human deaths from rabies and animal bites since 2000. But the population of vaccinated dogs remains small.
The health department's target is for the Philippines to be rabies-free by 2020, though odds are still stacked against the government.
The government hopes to achieve an 80 percent target of the unvaccinated population so that the public could get herd immunity from the vaccinated dogs.
Alivio urged the public to become responsible pet-owners. This means that the dogs are properly vaccinated against rabies and that they are treated like a part of the family and are properly leashed. What happens to many households now is only ownership by name. They say they own the dog but are not actually taking care of it.
The health department central office has recorded a reduction in the incidence of animal bites, mostly by dogs, for the past three years.
There were around 154,000 reported cases in 2000, 124,000 cases in 2001, and 117,000 cases in 2002.
Awareness of rabies is increasing. People bitten by dogs now go to centers to seek medical attention, unlike before when they applied (traditional) treatments at home.
But we still have to translate this awareness into responsible care for pets, Alivio said. (PIA/RBPalacio)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (April 2, 2006 issue)
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