DILG calls on LGUs to support World Rabies Day

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is calling on local chief executives (LCEs) to support the celebration of the World Rabies Day (WRD) on September 28. 

 

The DILG made the call, citing that the Philippines is one of the ten countries in the world with a high incidence of rabies cases. 

 

This year’s celebration, with the theme "End Rabies Together," will be held in conjunction with the observance of the Animal Welfare Week spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Animal Industry.

 

The event will be highlighted by a series of activities which include the declaration of rabies-free zones, the conduct of mass dog vaccination, dog walk and pet blessing at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

 

DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento calls on all LCEs to mobilize their respective veterinary offices and their municipal agriculture units to support the event.

 

The LCEs are enjoined to create awareness about rabies mitigation and responsible pet ownership, or promoting WRD related events through the distribution of various information materials.

 

Under Republic Act 9482 or the "Anti-Rabies Act of 2007," LCEs play a vital role in ensuring that all dogs within their jurisdiction are registered, and immunized to ensure they are healthy. They are also urged to allocate funds to augment for the implementation of the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program.

 

At the same time, LCEs are also directed to enact local ordinances supporting the rabies control program that will regulate the local treatment of rabies called "tandok." Also, they must prohibit the trade of dogs for meat and the usage of electrocution and euthanasia procedure.

 

Rabies is a viral disease usually found in the saliva or tissues from the nervous system of an infected mammal and is transmitted through a bite to another mammal. This epidemic is responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths a year worldwide.

 

In the Philippines, rabies infection caused by canine bites accounts for 84 percent or roughly between 300 and 400 deaths per year, as of 2014. 

 

One of the reasons for the increasing number of deaths due to rabies infection is the lack of awareness on proper pet vaccination procedures by their owners.