Officials raise rabies alert in Kalinga town

TINGLAYAN, Kalinga – Health authorities in the province of Kalinga raised alert on the reported rabies upsurge in Barangay Luplupa, this town, the Provincial Epidemics and Surveillance Unit (PESU) said Nov. 28.

According to PESU officer Jose Pardito Jr., 12 victims of dog bite from the area sought treatment at the animal bite center of the Provincial Health Office in Tabuk. All were suspected to be positive of rabies.

Pardito said the incident is very alarming since all the 12 cases took place in a period of four days, from Nov. 9 to 13.

Patients informed local health workers that a dog suspected to be rabid had been biting other dogs in the place before the 12 persons were bitten, thus, the rabies might have been suspected to have transferred to the other dogs in the said place.

To prevent these dogs from biting more victims, residents killed them but failed to bring the heads for rabies test.

The provincial and municipal health offices are still conducting an investigation whether or not the killed dogs were eaten by the local residents which is believed to have infected the other individuals, thus, the victims have been subjected to appropriate vaccination and preventive mechanisms to stop the spread of the rabies.

From January to October, this year, there were nine cases of dog bites reported in the municipality. The PESU noted that this as an unusual case in the place.

As this developed, Pardito immediately requested for the massive vaccination of dogs in Barangay Luplupa, before the virus could infect other dogs.

Pardito appealed to some elders in Upper Kalinga to refrain from the cultural practice of feeding the dog bite victim with the dog’s liver as antidote to rabies, as was revealed by some of the patients.

He stressed that this local practice has no connection, whatsoever, to fight rabies in the body of the person once he is infected. Pardito urged the public instead to observe if the dog survives or dies within 14 days.

If the dog survives, the patient need not be given anti-rabies vaccine, but if the dog dies, the patient should be brought to the animal bite center at the PHO for treatment, together with the head of the dog so it can be brought for rabies test in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Pardito said. – Dexter A. See