Animal charity group to conduct free rabies vaccination drive

MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of World Rabies Day in September, an animal charity group is set to conduct a mass rabies vaccination drive following the death of a Norwegian woman from rabies she contracted while vacationing in the Philippines..

Humane Society International (HSI) announced Thursday it will hold door-to-door free rabies vaccinations across Metro Manila in July and August.

The free rabies vaccination drive comes in the wake of the death of tourist Brigitte Kallestad’s in Norway after contracting rabies from a stray puppy she had rescued while on vacation in the Philippines.

READ: Norwegian woman dies of rabies after rescuing puppy in Philippines

HSI said Kallestad’s death was the first rabies-related death in Norway for more than 200 years.

According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the last recorded case of rabies contracted by a human in Norway dates back to 1815.

Philippines, on the other hand, has 200-250 rabies-related human deaths every year, with dog bites responsible for more than 95% of all cases, HSI said.

HSI’s teams will be vaccinating dogs and cats across Manila from July 1 to 5, 8 to 12 and 22 to 26. Dates for the month of August have yet to be confirmed.

The animal charity group has previously partnered with the local government of Cebu City and Quezon City and said it has so far vaccinated 30,000 dogs and cats.

HSI is a charitable non-profit organization aiming to “to promote the human-animal bond, protect street animals, support farm animal welfare, stop wildlife abuse, eliminate painful animal testing, respond to natural disasters and confront cruelty to animals in all of its forms.” (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)