INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
About 9 in 10 Filipinos who got bitten by animals in recent years did not receive any post-exposure vaccines that could have reduced the risk of fatal rabies infection.
Based on the historical data of the Department of Health (DOH) from 2012-2023, 91 percent of individuals who were exposed to rabies did not avail of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
“If you didn’t receive any PEP, you [will] most likely develop rabies later on. And that could happen months or even years down the road,” Director Alethea de Guzman of the DOH epidemiology bureau said in an online forum.
READ: Deadly bite: Rabies remains a huge global public health concern
She also stressed that individuals with animal bites should complete the primary series of PEP as those who fail to get the full doses “run the risk of developing rabies eventually.”
Rabies, De Guzman said, are “almost 100 percent fatal” thus, proper preventive measures should be done to the individual exposed to rabies. Wounds must immediately be washed with soap and running water and the exposed individual should seek consultation for proper treatment.
The country observes rabies awareness month every March.
The deadly virus is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, commonly from dogs and cats. It can also come from bats and other mammals.
Cases and deaths
From January 1 to February 25 this year, 55 cases of rabies, all of which resulted in deaths, were recorded in the country. All of the cases did not receive PEP.
The latest count is 8 percent higher than the number of cases logged in the same period in 2022, the same data showed. Majority of the cases were from the older age group and were mostly male.
The government aims to eradicate rabies in the country by 2030. But only 8 provinces were declared as “rabies-free zones” as of November 2020: Siquijor, Batanes, Biliran, Camiguin, Marinduque, Dinagat Islands, Catanduanes and Romblon. There are a total of 664 animal bite treatment centers in the country, with Central Visayas having the most number. However, there are only four bite centers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
READ: With over 200 average deaths yearly, PH far from rabies-free status
According to Raffy Deray, medical officer IV at the disease prevention and control bureau, the DOH aims to provide animal bite centers some 5 million vaccine doses and 800,000 equine rabies immunoglobulin shots to augment treatment supplies at the local level.