FIVE human rabies deaths recorded in Davao City through the second quarter of 2026 are reinforcing efforts to teach children what to do after an animal bite or scratch.
The City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO) and the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Davao City are continuing a campus-wide rabies awareness campaign as the city prepares to observe World Rabies Day on Sept. 28.
The Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign, authorized through Division Memorandum SGOD-2026-385 in late May, sends CVO personnel to public elementary schools every Friday to teach children about rabies prevention and the importance of reporting animal bites and scratches.
Health and veterinary officials said reaching young learners is crucial because children sometimes hide their injuries out of fear.
“Ang mga bata, naintindihan nila na napaakan sila, pero they are afraid to tell their parents,” CVO Medical Technologist II Ma. Noreen Eng said during the iSpeak media forum on Sept. 17, 2026. (Children understand that they have been bitten, but they are afraid to tell their parents.)
To make the program sustainable across Davao City’s large public school system, the CVO is expanding its partnership with the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin).
The CVO previously worked with UPMin to turn over the Rabies Dashboard (RabDash), a data-banking platform that tracks rabies cases, identifies high-risk areas, and maps intervention efforts.
The office is now working with the university to develop standardized rabies education modules for elementary students.
“In collaboration po kami sa UP Mindanao kasi we wanted na mag-come up ng module kasi medyo hindi po kaya ng city na mag-IEC every Friday sa mga ganito, kasi ang daming schools po natin,” Eng said. (We are collaborating with UP Mindanao because we want to develop a module. The city cannot conduct direct weekly IEC sessions in every school because we have so many schools.)
After conducting sessions at San Isidro Elementary School in Buhangin, the campaign will visit T. Awad Echevarria Elementary School in Mandug on Sept. 25 and Waan Elementary School on Oct. 2.
The school visits will continue through mid-November, covering Teofilo V. Fernandez, St. Jude, Banganga, Acacia, Cabantian, and Communal elementary schools.
Officials urged the public to immediately wash animal bite and scratch wounds with soap and running water and seek medical care at an Animal Bite Treatment Center.
They stressed that rabies is 100 percent fatal once symptoms develop, making early wound care and timely medical consultation critical. GRS
