Provincial Health Officer Dr. Felix Sy has appealed to Negrenses to help eradicate human rabies deaths by submitting their pets for anti-rabies vaccination.{{more}}
Dr. Sy made the call during the annual evaluation conference workshop of the Provincial Rabies Eradication Program and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Rabies Project held Dec. 3 at the Provincial Health Office.
The provincial health chief disclosed that the province received a total of 98,000 anti-rabies dog vaccines, which Dr. Sy said is more than enough to vaccinate the dogs province-wide.
“Our dog population in the province is only 96,564. With the vaccines given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we can achieve our goal of vaccinating all the dogs in the province if we work hard on making it happen,” he said.
Dr. Sy said that for this goal to be achieved, the public must cooperate by making sure that their pets are submitted for vaccination.
As of November, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported that 73% of the dog population in the province has been vaccinated, and is targeting 100 percent dog vaccination by December.
Last year, the PVO was only able to vaccinate 60% of 80% of the province’s dog population.
The province’s rabies eradication program was set to end this year but was extended until 2015 by the funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the form of anti-rabies vaccines for dogs and humans. (PIA/RMN)