FIGHT VS. RABIES. Mass dog vaccination in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, Provincial Veterinary Office Public Health Division chief, said Friday (March 8, 2024) that for January and February this year, five dog head specimens have been confirmed to be positive of rabies in the province. (Photo courtesy of San Jose de Buenavista Municipal Agriculture Office)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office here is warning Antiqueños not to ignore rabies and to seek immediate medical treatment, citing positive cases with one death due to dog bite during the first two months of the year.
Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, ProVet Public Health Division chief, said in an interview Friday that for January and February, the five dog head specimens that they have submitted to the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Iloilo City have been confirmed to be positive of the viral infection.
“Last year, there were only four confirmed cases out of the 10 specimens that we have submitted to the DA laboratory,” he said.
He noted that rabies cases usually peak during March, which is the reason it was chosen as Rabies Awareness Month.
Ardamil did not give details as to the rabies death.
“A person bitten by a rabid dog could experience symptoms such as fever, hallucination and diaphragm paralysis that is why there is really a need to immediately seek medical treatment,” Ardamil said.
He said dogs could be irritable because of the hot season and bite as their defense mechanism.
Ardamil said they advocate for responsible pet ownership and are urging the public to have their dogs listed for inventory in their respective barangays.
The inventory will provide the barangay with data on dog population so that they could easily trace them for vaccination.
Meanwhile, Ardamil said ProVet is ready to help local government units that would hold mass dog vaccination by augmenting their personnel.
“We don’t have enough budget for vaccines so we are just assisting LGUs during their mass vaccination,” he said.
Based on ProVet’s record, Antique’s dog population is around 40,000. (PNA)
