RIZAL, Kalinga -- The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) had vaccinated more than 5,000 dogs under its Rabies Prevention Program.
Godofredo Laed of the PVO informed the massive canine anti-rabies vaccination is in partnership with the Rizal local government through its trained volunteer vaccinators while the vaccines came from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Under the program, the PVO targets at least 80 percent of the dog population but in Rizal, Laed is confident they had covered more than the target since the dog population here based on record is about 4,000.
Part of their rabies prevention efforts includes dog population control which they are now implementing through castration and neutering.
“The lesser number of dogs, the easier to control”, he said.
After Rizal, the PVO will cover another municipality since the annual program is province wide towards a rabies-free Kalinga.
Because of sustained anti-rabies efforts, the province did not have human rabies case for years now except for two positive dog rabies cases early this year, Laed revealed.
Laed added the PVO is up with the preparation for the observance of World Anti-Rabies Day later this month. (Larry Lopez/PIA–CAR)