By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Western Visayas
The Philippines Department of Health in the Western Visayas reported 17 human rabies deaths during the first five months of the year, the second most of any province in the country behind only Central Luzon.
This is the same number of human rabies deaths reported in all of 2018.
This has prompted health officials to call on the public to be responsible pet owners.
Program coordinator of the region’s Rabies Prevention and Control Program, Ame Liz G. Mardoquio said Negros Occidental reported the most deaths with. Aklan and Iloilo province each has three cases; Capiz has two; while Iloilo City has one death. Six of the death cases were children less than 13 years old.
Legazpi City
The number of unvaccinated dogs in the city is high due to officials running out of rabies vaccine. Based on the record of the City Veterinary Office, the population of dogs in the city is around 22,000 but only 8,000 dogs have been vaccinated for this year.
This prompted the local government to declared a state of calamity to access funds which will be used to purchase of anti-rabies vaccines.
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