INQUIRER FILES
BACOLOD CITY — Animal bite patients seeking treatment here have increased by about 50 percent.
Based on the data of the Bacolod City Health Office (BCHO), the number of animal bite patients increased from 9,000 in 2022 to 14,000 in 2023.
Dr. Carlo Ortega, head of the BCHO rabies program, attributed the increase in animal bites to more persons acquiring pets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the majority of the reported animal bite cases involved pet owners unlike in the past when they were mostly caused by stray dogs.
READ: How to prevent rabies and what to do after an animal bite
Ortega said Bacolod City has enough anti-rabies vaccines for humans that are available for free for patients who suffer from deep open wounds and profuse bleeding from animal bites.
The BCHO has about 6,000 anti-rabies vaccines good for about six months.
Ortega said free anti-rabies vaccines are not provided for category 1 (no open wound) and category 2 (small wounds with not much bleeding) as they are not covered by the PhilHealth package.
Dr. John Michael Cabuguason, assistant city veterinarian, said the increase in reported cases can be attributed to the public’s greater awareness of the need to seek medical treatment for animal bites.
“It does not mean that there are more rabid dogs,” he said.
READ: DOH notes increase in rabies cases in 2024
The City Veterinary Office is aiming to vaccinate 70 percent of the dog population in Bacolod or about 70,000 to establish herd immunity.
Cabuguason said they are conducting mass vaccination of dogs and will be rounding up stray dogs in public places such as schools, markets, and plazas for the protection of the humans and the animals.
He said the City Dog Pound has been renovated to increase its capacity.
“The dog pound practices zero euthanasia. We can actually call it a dog shelter where the animals undergo rehabilitation,” he said.
Cabuguason said the dog pound has 32 occupants and can still accommodate up to 50 more.