City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II (standing behind the podium) delivers his message during the launch of the Responsible Pet Ownership campaign held in the City Hall Atrium. The event took place on March 18, 2021. Contributed photo
The City Government of Tagbilaran launches the “Responsible Pet Ownership” campaign in all the 15 barangays, through the City Agrivet Office led by Dr. Genette Egos, as a way to help fight the spread of rabies, which remains a public health threat, according to the City Health Office.
A report said that the campaign kicked off on March 18, 2021 and is currently doing its rounds in all 15 barangays of the city.
Rabies continues to be a public health problem in the Philippines, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) said that the Philippines is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of rabies cases.
Statistics from the said health authorities say that 300 Filipinos die from rabies disease each year.
In response to this problem, the DOH and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have renewed their commitment to end the rabies disease in the country by increasing rabies prevention awareness.
City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II lauded the efforts of the City Agrivet Office (CAVO) during program’s launch at the City Hall Atrium.
“Being a responsible pet owner is one of the most cost-effective strategies to prevent rabies. The information education campaign will definitely reinforce awareness and responsible management among pet owners”, Mayor Yap said.
Aside from responsible pet ownership, the campaign also emphasized that pets should be leashed in public places and should be vaccinated once a year. The lecture also covered the fines and penalties implemented in Tagbilaran City in relation to mishandling pets.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque said the campaign aims to “declare the Philippines a rabies-free country by 2030.”
Rabies is an infectious viral disease that is almost always fatal following the onset of clinical symptoms.
In up to 99 percent of cases, domestic dogs are responsible for the transmission of the rabies virus to humans.
Rabies can affect both domestic and wild animals. It is spread to humans through animal bites or scratches, with the virus present usually in the animal’s saliva.
According to the data from WHO, at least one-third of deaths of human rabies are among children less than 15 years old. The WHO noted that animal bite cases have been increasing for the past five years and dogs remain to be the principal cause of rabies transmission.
For inquiries concerning responsible pet ownership, you can directly contact the CAVO through 0945-1631299 and 0918-3618277.