Fighting rabies

While largely preventable, rabies remains one of the deadliest and biggest threats to the health of Filipinos — many of whom ironically are pet owners.

Each year, hundreds if not thousands of Filipinos are put at risk because of rabies. At the start of 2024 alone, the Department of Health (DOH) sounded the alarm on the rising number of rabies cases in the country and called for the vaccination of animals, especially dogs and cats against the deadly disease. The DOH also reminded Filipinos to seek medical attention for animal bites.

Controlling rabies is challenging in the Philippines due to a myriad of economic and social factors. More often than not, rabies is viewed only as a public health issue but in reality, it is also an animal welfare issue.

Vaccination plays an important role in the fight against the fatal disease.

Rabies primarily persists in our communities due to the continued growth of the stray animal population — many of which are unvaccinated against the fatal disease. There is also the issue of access to vaccines for animals. More often than not, pet owners in rural areas have limited access to veterinary services for rabies vaccines.

While programs and laws to combat rabies have long been institutionalized, gaps on the implementation of these persist which is why controlling the disease requires a concerted effort between the government, the private sector, and local communities.

As the old saying goes, prevention is always better than cure.

In this regard, the government plays a crucial role in addressing the issue to ensure that the necessary resources are available to communities to address rabies. Sufficient funding should be allocated to make veterinary services available in all local government units (LGUs) and communities, especially those in remote areas.

Stricter implementation of a stronger animal vaccination campaign and stray population control program should also be implemented across local communities to minimize the risks of the disease.

Local health centers meanwhile should have sufficient post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent and minimize deaths because of the disease.

The private sector can support these initiatives in a variety of ways. Pharmaceutical companies and veterinary clinics can help make vaccines more accessible and affordable while animal welfare groups can help promote mass vaccination campaigns, especially of stray animals. Corporate social responsibility programs of private firms can be leveraged to support mass vaccination drives, neutering services, and public information campaigns.

Aside from vaccination, free neutering services are essential in the fight against rabies since this will help reduce the stray animal population and in effect, minimize potential exposure to the disease.

Equally important in the fight against rabies too is an effective and widespread education campaign that tackles not just the risks of the disease but the need for responsible pet ownership as well.

At an early age, children should be made aware of the risks of rabies so that proper medical attention can be given in case of exposure to the disease. Local health workers, schools, animal welfare groups, and community leaders can collaborate to implement a more robust information campaign so that Filipinos are properly informed about the disease and what they can do about it.

Educating people about responsible pet ownership is also crucial to encourage vaccination of animals and early reporting of potential cases of rabies. This can help significantly reduce the number of unvaccinated animals that pose a risk to the health of the community.

No life should be lost to a preventable disease such as rabies. By adopting a multi-faceted approach to fighting the disease, rabies can soon be a thing of the past.

Let us uphold our commitment to public health and animal welfare by working together to fight rabies.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.