By Mary Lailani P. Tupaz
PIA
NAVAL, Biliran — With the shortage of human anti-rabies vaccine in Biliran province, no less than the top official of the provincial health office in Biliran province has called on Biliranons to practice responsible pet ownership.
In his letter to Governor Gerardo Espina, Jr., Dr. Edgar T. Veloso, Provincial Health Officer of the Biliran Provincial Health Office (BPHO) informed that the center can no longer provide post-exposure prophylaxis to animal bite victims due to the lack of human anti-rabies vaccines at the Provincial Animal Bite Treatment Center (ABTC) at the Biliran Provincial Hospital.
He instead enumerated in his letter the ideals of practicing responsible pet ownership to somehow prevent rabies by keeping dogs on leash or in cages, giving them annual rabies vaccination, maintaining clean household compound, reporting any unusual dog behaviour observed, and report all animal bite cases at the nearest health facility.
Kristinna Marie Escosis, BPHO rabies program coordinator, however informed lately, that new vaccines that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are available in the market but in limited circulation amid the global scarcity of World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified vaccines.
“Starting this month of Feb., animal bite victims in the province were already referred to ABTCs in Tacloban and Ormoc for their anti-rabies vaccine shots where some victims reported to have secured their vaccines from big pharmacies only,” Escosis added.
Dr. Suzette B. Apura, provincial veterinarian, told in an emergency meeting of the Biliran Provincial Rabies Prevention and Control Council (PRPCC) meeting on Feb. 7, to plan for activities and devise strategies to effectively prevent occurrence of animal bites, especially on dog bites amidst scarcity of supply of human anti-rabies vaccine.
The council also urged municipal and barangay officials to strictly implement local ordinances in relation to RA 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act to regain its grandeur of being a Rabies-Free Biliran Province.
Biliran Province was declared rabies-free from 2012 until early part of 2016 until a positive canine rabies was recorded in September 2016. (LDL/MMP/PIA-8 Biliran)
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