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RABIES - - -The ARMM government, through its Department of Agriculture and
Fisheries (DAF) and different partner agencies, conducted a Rabies Awareness
Month celebration on Wednesday, March 8 in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Students at
Broce Central Elementary School of Peace and the community in Broce
participated in the activity. Veterinarian Cathy Moira of Bureau of Animal
Industry gave lectures to raise awareness on rabies, and to call on Filipinos
to prevent rabies through responsible pet ownership
and mass vaccination.
Several
officials delivered message and vowed to support the rabies awareness campaign.
Mass
vaccination of pet dogs and cats was also held in the afternoon. The
celebration of the Rabies Awareness Month is conducted by virtue of Executive
Order No. 84, series of 1999. (BUREAU OF
PUBLIC INFORMATION – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
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COTABATO CITY ---Within three years, officials expect the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to be rabies-free in line with the campaign to
make the Philippines rabies-free by 2020.
ARMM officials on
Friday last week commenced a massive campaign to eradicate rabies in the
region's five provinces through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
(DAF-ARMM) and partner agencies.
Rabies is a fatal but
preventable disease of dogs and other domesticated animals, which is
transmissible to humans through the pets' saliva.
The achievement of
rabies-free Philippines by 2020 is the country’s goal to support the
government’s drive of eliminating rabies-caused human deaths by 2030.
To actively
participate in the nation-wide campaign, the DAF-ARMM will conduct series of
rabies awareness program in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanaodel Sur,
Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.
The first recipients
of the information dissemination were students of Broce Central Elementary
School of Peace and the community in Broce, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Dr.NorodinKuit, ARMM’s
regional anti-rabies coordinator, said the outreach program was aimed at
raising awareness on rabies and to call on residents to prevent such disease
through responsible pet ownership.
The program included
mass vaccination of domesticated animals, especially dogs.
Locals and pet owners
welcomed the move by the DAF-ARMM. Among them was Myrna Jacolon, 33, who owns a
cat and three dog pets.
She said attending
such program was educational and the immunization of her pets against rabies
means protecting her pets, her family, and the community she lives in from
danger.
"It is better to
have our pets vaccinated than we treat ourselves from dog bites," she
said.
Veterinarian Cathy
Moira of the Bureau of Animal Industry cited statistics why dog vaccination
should not be ignored by anyone.
"For every 10
minutes, someone dies of rabies world-wide. Most affected are children four to
15 years old," she said.
In the country, at
least 1,100 Filipinos experience animal bites every day, and there were around
230 deaths in 2015 and 180 deaths in January to September 2016.
Moira advised anyone
who is bitten by animals to immediately wash the wound with soap or detergent
using running water, disinfect the wound with alcohol, consult a doctor, and
seek the nearest bite center in the locality for medical attention.
Moira said that as of
2016, there are around 480 Animal Bite Treatment Centers in the country.
In Maguindanao, the
animal bite center is housed at the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital in the town
of ShariffAguak.
Aside from the
outreach program, the DAF-ARMM also conducted free vaccination of pets,
especially dogs, at the DAF-ARMM compound in Cotabato City.
Kuit said in an
interview that having responsible pet owners would significantly help in
preventing rabies.
The veterinarian also
advised pet owners to have their animals vaccinated at age three and every year
thereafter.
Kuit also advised pet
owners to ensure they have proper nutrition.
Pet dogs should not be
allowed to roam freely on the streets because they may acquire rabies when they
mingle with street dogs. (PNA– Cotabato/MINDANAO
EXPOSE’)
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