DOH Targets Rabies-Free Philippines by 2020

The Department of Health(DOH), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA) led the celebration of World Rabies Day underscoring the theme: Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate., which emphasizes the two crucial actions that communities can do to prevent rabies. It also reflects the global target to eliminate all human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.

ROMMEL ABUDA - GSK Public Affairs & Communication, DR. EMELINDA L. LOPEZ - OIC Animal Health & Welfare Division, DR. PAULYN JEAN B. ROSELL-UBIAL - Secretary of Health, DR. ERIC TAYAG - Spokesperson DOH, DR. CHRISTINE DIZON - GSK Medical Director for Vaccines

Rabies is a fatal disease transmitted to humans through animal bites or even scratches, most commonly by dogs. It is vaccine preventable, but once infection begins, death is inevitable. In the Philippines, rabies continues to be a public health problem and is responsible for the death of 200-300 Filipinos annually, with children having the highest risk.

“Rabies is considered a neglected disease that is 100% fatal but 100% preventable. Effective and safe medicines have been available for decades to prevent the disease in humans and animals. None of these deaths should have occurred since we have the necessary interventions to prevent rabies such as: (1) promotion of responsible pet ownership, (2) early consultation when bitten by animals and (3) timely administration of vaccines,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial explained.

From 2010-2015, 1,463 deaths were recorded by DOH from human rabies and 180 deaths from human rabies were noted from January 1 to September 24 2016.

A total of 783,879 animal bites across the country were registered in 2015. This is 10% higher than in 2014 when the total number of animal bites was 683,802 cases. The increase in the number of reported cases is attributed to the improved surveillance and services which enabled bite cases to seek treatment at established public Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTC) and/or private Animal Bite Centers. As of March 2016, a total of 486 ABTCs are located all over the country, 32 of which are in Metro Manila.

As part of the rabies elimination campaign, a total of 41 provinces/areas were declared ‘rabies-free’ by DOH and DA, Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) from 2008-2016.

The DOH, through the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program (NRPCP) in partnership with different agencies and local government units continue to implement strategies and activities to respond to this public health problem. One strategy is the provision of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in all DOH-recognized ABTCs/ABCs, and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) especially for high risk individuals and students in high incidence zones. Meanwhile, PhilHealth through its Animal Bite Treatment Package defrays the cost of PEP treatment among all qualified members.

The Filipino Dog Whisperer Lester Zapanta and his dog A'quiya

The DOH has lined up various advocacy campaigns to disseminate information about the illness and how to prevent it. The DOH also encourages pet owners to have household pets vaccinated at designated time periods. Lastly, the public is warned against approaching stray and possibly rabid animals and is reminded to immediately go to the nearest ABTCs/ABCs when needed.

“Maging responsible. Kung ikaw ay may alagang hayop, pabakunahan ito agad laban sa rabies. Kung ikaw naman ay nakagat ng hayop, huwag itong ipagsawalang bahala, pumunta agad sa pinakamalapit na animal bite treatment center upang ito’y mabigyan ng kaukulang lunas o bakuna laban sa rabies.” Secretary Ubialconcluded.

Rabies FAQ's

Question
What is rabies?	Rabies is a virus that attacks the central nervous system that can lead to a serious illness that can lead to death if not addressed immediately¹
How is rabies transmitted?	Rabies is most commonly transmitted through bites of rabid animals (cat, dog etc). Rabies can also be transmitted through licks of rabid animals on existing scratches and wounds of individuals.¹
What are the symptoms of rabies?	· Confused state of mind¹ · Irritable and anxious ¹ · Hydrophobic¹ · Abnormal increase in salivation¹
How long does it take for symptoms to appear?	While the infected individual might seem healthy, the virus may already be traveling towards the brain. Symptoms of infection may occur weeks or months after rabies exposure.¹
How serious is rabies as a public health burden in the Philippines?	· Rabies is fatal² · The Philippines is a rabies endemic country² · 200 bite victims died due to rabies infection in 2013² · 40% of bite victims fall under the age 15 years and below²
What do I do to prevent rabies infection?	· Treatment should be started as early as possible after exposure, but in no case should it be denied to exposed persons whatever time interval has elapsed.³ · Ensure complete compliance of the full treatment course. The rabies victim may die should the individual fail to complete the course of the treatment¹
What is the National Rabies Prevention and Control Committee (NRPCC)?	The NRPCC is a multi-agency effort to control and eliminate rabies in the country by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd) in coordination with other Government Organizations (GOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and People's Organizations (POs).²
What are actions being taken by the national government to prevent rabies?	· Human Vaccination: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) led by the National Rabies Prevention & Control Program (NRPCP)² · Database of dog bites led by the NRPCP² · Health Promotion – including world rabies day & rabies month celebration, massive health information using Tri-Media channels, development of disease awareness materials & integration of rabies program in the school curriculum led by the NRPCC² · Dog Vaccination led by the DA-BAI² · Dog Population Management led by the DA-BAI² · Central Database System led by the DA-BAI² · Responsible Pet Ownership led by the NRPCC²Integration of Anti-Rabies Instructions to the K to 12 Curriculum by the DepEd
What is the BILIS Campaign all about?	The BILIS Campaign is a disease awareness campaign aligned to the Rabies Free Philippines Advocacy. The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness on proper treatment, management and prevention of rabies infection. This tagline communicates a sense of urgency to fight rabies immediately. BILIS would stand for the 3 simple steps on how to manage animal bite exposure. · BI – Bilisan ang paghugas ng sugat² · LI – Linisin ng alcohol² · S – Sumangguni sa doktor ukol sa tamang pag-gamot ng sugat²