By Anton Banal
In only the first two months of 2026, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 17 cases of rabies across the country.
In a social media post, the DOH said there are a total of 17 rabies cases during the period of January 4 to February 21.
"This is 65% lower than the 49 cases recorded during the same period in 2025," said the DOH.
It said cases are almost equally caused by domestic pets and stray animals.
The Department also noted that 13 cases or 76 percent of the total cases are from unvaccinated animals.
Rabies is a fatal disease caused by a virus that is transmitted through the bite, scratch, or saliva of dogs, cats, and other animals with rabies.
And in a bid to prevent rabies, the DOH urged the public to be a responsible pet owner to stay paw-tected by ensuring their pets are vaccinated.
In case of a bite or scratch, it said victims must immediately wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes.
They should then immediately consult the nearest DOH-certified animal bite treatment center or animal bite center to assess if a rabies vaccine is needed.
Lastly, the DOH said the patients must be able to complete their vaccine doses on time.