Five die of rabies in Ilocos Norte

By Leilanie Adriano 

LAOAG CITY – Local and health officials in the province of Ilocos Norte have raised the alarm on the increasing rabies cases in the province, with five reported deaths this year.
    The fatalities, aged 35 to 75, were from the city of Batac and the towns of Nueva Era, Pinili, Sarrat and Paoay, according to data from the Provincial Health Office.
    "For the last 10 years, Ilocos Norte has maintained its status as a rabies-free province but in just an instant, we lost it,” said provincial board member Dr. Medeldorf Gaoat in a media interview on Monday as he urged all concerned sectors to help control the spread of the deadly virus.
    Gaoat stressed the need to intensify the mass vaccination of dogs and cats to bring back the province's rabies-free status.
    He also appealed to those who still slaughter dogs for food to refrain from doing so because even if dog meat is cooked, the rabies virus can still thrive over extreme heat.
    To speed up the monitoring and surveillance of rabies cases, Gaoat recommended the establishment of its own rabies testing center in the province.
    Currently, samples of suspected rabies cases are still being sent to Pangasinan for confirmatory laboratory testing.

Gaoat also urged local government units and pet owners to help in the impounding of stray dogs.

In case of a bite, victims are advised to immediately proceed to an animal bite treatment center for immediate action and intervention, instead of going to a faith healer or availing of the traditional practice of “tandok," done by placing a piece of deer or carabao horn over a dog or cat bite believing it would suck out the rabies virus.

The officials said several bite victims still choose to believe in “conventional faith healing” practices such as the use of certain stones, oils and leaves, which contributed to rabies deaths in the province.

In 2012, the Provincial Veterinary Office launched the Ilocos Norte Communities against Rabies Exposure project.

The project delivered a comprehensive dog vaccination program and increased awareness on the need for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

At the time, the project aimed to eliminate human and animal rabies cases from Ilocos Norte by 2015.

Prior to the intervention, confirmed rabies cases in dogs were between 19 and 50 per year (2008–2011).

The primary outcome of the project was a reduction in rabies cases in both dogs and humans to 0 in 2014 and 2015, a record maintained until this y when over 35 suspected rabies cases were reported with five fatalities. -- PNA