The Provincial Veterinary Office is pushing for a tougher program against rabies in the Negros Oriental barangays. {{more}}
Last week, the PVO gathered nearly 100 barangay officials at the Bethel Guest House to appeal for their support in the implementation of rabies eradication programs in their localities.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Antonio Mutia in his speech during the orientation held at Bethel Guesthouse on June 3 stressed that barangay captains are crucial in the campaign to eliminate rabies in the Province.
“The real action in rabies eradication is really in the barangays, which is why the role of the barangay captains is important,” he said.
Dr. Edgar Barredo, chief of the Field Health Services at the Integrated Provincial Health Office, echoed the same appeal to the village officials, particularly in adopting and implementing the rabies ordinance at the barangay level.
The village officials were particularly urged to help in the advocacy awareness and dog vaccination activities. PVO is targeting to vaccinate 80 percent of the total dog population in the province.
Records show that dog vaccination accomplishment in the Province has been low in the past years. Last year only 57 percent of the target was achieved.
Mutia said that the mass vaccination of dogs plays a large role in eradicating the deadly virus.
The highest dog vaccination that the province achieved in a year was at 77 percent, and the year after that, there were no rabies cases recorded here.
Human casualties due to rabid dog bites would be avoided if only all dogs have been vaccinated against the disease, stressed Mutia.
The provincial veterinarian is hopeful that things will look better this year in terms of dog vaccination after free dog vaccines were issued by the Department of Health courtesy of the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation.
Visayas has been chosen as one of the demo project sites for the project grant from said foundation which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of controlling and eliminating human rabies in low-income countries through the control and elimination of rabidogs. (PIA/rmn)
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