INQUIRER FILES
online gambling slotsDAVAO CITY – Health officials here are alarmed over the rise in the number of deaths due to rabies for the entire year of 2024 even as anti-rabies vaccine procurement in Davao region has been slashed from P8 million last year to only P1 million this year.
Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama said 36 persons died of rabies infection in the region last year, a 50 per cent increase compared to the 24 deaths in 2023.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: DOH: Rabies cases in PH rise to 23% in September 2024
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO Rep. Tulfo apologizes for using Edsa busway NEWSINFO SWS: 59% of Filipinos satisfied with Marcos admin in December 2024 NEWSINFO Company turns over cash aid to LTO for victims of Katipunan crashOf the 36 cases, 21 were caused by rabies from vaccinated and domesticated animals and only 15 were caused by unvaccinated and stray animals, underscoring the need for anti-rabies vaccines for patients who got bitten by infected animals.
“Actually rabies has become a global threat already with 60,000 rabies deaths worldwide reported annually,” said Dumama, also the concurrent director for Department of Health (DOH) in region 11.
Article continues after this advertisement“This 60,000 deaths in the whole world is no joke; and in our country, along with our neighboring countries in the Asean, we’re not really far from that data because in our regional offices of DOH, especially in the Davao region, the data are alarming,” Dumama told reporters.
Article continues after this advertisementHe cited Davao del Norte for instance, which recorded 13 deaths from rabies last year. “It is alarming because it more than tripled the three cases recorded in the previous year; that’s a rise of more than 300 per cent,” he said in Filipino. Following Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro posted sevendeaths; Davao del Sur, five; Davao Occidental, four ; Davao Oriental, four; and Davao City, three.
Alexander said Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU caused “significant disruption” to its trade policy and the country needed to recalibrate its global trade outlook.
Comments from top Federal Reserve officials suggesting they would like to see a slower pace of rate cuts tempered hopes for another bumper cut at the bank’s next meeting, while Middle East worries pushed gold to a new record.
Article continues after this advertisementThe ages of those who died ranged from age five to 68 years old, he added.
He also said that the 36 cases of deaths due to rabies infection did not reflect the real number since most cases did not reach the hospitals, hence, were not reported.
Article continues after this advertisement“We are aware that cases of rabies infection are more often than not under-diagnosed,” he said. “Sometimes, the patients arrive in the hospital but there are also times when a patient is already gone, so he never reached the hospital, so (the case) remained unreported. And of course, ang pinaka number one talaga (our number one problem was that our anti-rabies program has always been) underfunded, because mukhang hindi masyadong nabibigyan ng importansya yung mga approaches natin (it looks like our anti-rabies approaches are not given much importance),” he said.
He said that while other countries had increased their budget for their anti- rabies program, the sub allotment for human anti-rabies vaccine procurement in the region had been slashed down from P8 million in 2024 to only P1 million this year. “The P1 million budget procurement is only about 1,000 vials,” he said.
Even the P8 million budget in 2024 was only equivalent to 7,000 doses (or 7,000) vials of anti-rabies vaccine for 7,000 individuals, and was it enough for the 120,000 animal bites cases reported in the region in 2024.
“Aside from the 120,000 reported cases, how about the unreported ones?” he asked.
Although the human vaccines are important, Dumama also called on the local government units and the media to help increase awareness on anti-rabies prevention, including the vaccination of farm animals, particularly dogs, which had been a common source of rabies infection.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
” Let’s give more attention to the vaccination of our farm animals. That’s why we’re calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to coordinate with us; or, we can coordinate with them for the programdo888,” Dumama said.
READ NEXT 6 hurt due to chemical explosion in Makati City DICT chief: AI regulation must balance innovation, governance EDITORS' PICK DICT deploys teams to combat election-related misinformation Late Jesuit priest Eduardo Hontiveros nominated for National Artist for music SWS: 59% of Filipinos satisfied with Marcos admin in December 2024 Celebrities in the ‘Year of the Wood Snake,’ according to Marites Allen PCO confirms Marcos is seeking BARMM poll postponement to Oct Truck company turns over cash aid to LTO for victims of Katipunan crash MOST READ Carpio fears PH pact on Ayungin Shoal may expand China’s reach Marcos admin bets still dominate 2025 Senate race Navy: Drone found off Cagayan contains data on body of water Rep. Tulfo apologizes for using Edsa busway Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments
