ZAMBOANGUEÑOS are more aware about the dangers of rabies as indicated by the higher number of persons who reported dog bites and sought treatment.

Mario Arriola, head of the Office of the City Veterinarian (OCVet), announced Thursday, March 21, that dog bite incidents have increased by 23 percent to 9,000 in 2018 from 6,945 in 2017 based on City Health Office (CHO) data.

Two human rabies cases were documented last year, Arriola said.

One had incomplete rabies treatment while the other did not report the dog bite incident to his immediate family and failed to undergo any treatment.

Meanwhile, as part of their continued campaign against rabies, the OCVet seeks to procure additional doses of the rabies vaccine and administer these to 70,000 dogs in the city

Procurement of the vaccines will be financed by the Zamboang City disaster fund. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)