AT LEAST 10 died due to rabies in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) according to health officials.
Doctor Jennifer Joyce Pira, medical officer IV of the Department of Health–CAR, said they have recorded 100 percent of rabies cases in the region following the death of 10 compared to the five from January to November of 2018.
“If you are not a responsible pet owner and you do not let your pets be vaccinated particularly dogs, naturally the virus would be transmitted and once this person is bitten, it is fatal,” Pira said.
The best way to prevent rabies, according to Pira, is for pets to be immunized and to have prophylaxis so that pet owners and other individuals will not be infected.
Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals, with early symptoms include fever and tingling at the site of exposure.
Other preventive measure is the acquisition of rabies vaccine, animal control, and rabies immunoglobulin.
Symptoms of rabies include fever, fear of water, confusion, excessive salivation, hallucinations among others.
In August this year, the local government of Sablan, Benguet declared the municipality under a state of emergency due to a spike in rabies cases which adopted measures and strategies to contain the further spread of the rabies virus in the municipality and likewise in the adjacent municipalities of the province and nearby La Union.
Town records during that time showed 43 persons to have been exposed to the virus.