By Gail Momblan/PNA
ILOILO CITY — Iloilo’s Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is pushing for five more villages to be declared rabies-free this year.
In an interview Wednesday, PVO Veterinarian IV Darel Tabuada said the villages of Dungon, Mailog-liog, and Bagongon, all of Concepcion town; and Punta Buri and Tagubanjan of Ajuy town are eyed to be declared rabies-free sometime in September.
These five villages compose one island, Tabuada said.
“The villages covered by Concepcion town already completed the documents as they started working out with it last year. We are now finalizing their documents. As for the villages covered by Ajuy town, we help them comply with the requirements because they just started working with it this year,” he said.
Tabuada said an area will be declared “rabies-free” only if it has no record of human and animal rabies in the past two years, implements the anti-rabies ordinance, and has high vaccination coverage of dogs.
The entry and movement of dogs on the islands can be controlled, making it easier for islands to be declared “rabies-free” than municipalities in the mainland.
“Before a dog enters a rabies-free island, its owner should first present its vaccination card, unlike in the mainland (where) dogs can freely transfer from town to town,” he said.
Declared “rabies-free” in 2018 were the islands of Salvacion-Malangabang, Baliguian, and Sombrero in Concepcion.
In line with the celebration of Rabies Awareness Month, Tabuda said the PVO is set to neuter dogs in Carles town on March 27-28.
There are also ongoing rabies vaccination activities and information-education campaign in schools and communities.
The PVO targets to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the total 253,000 dog population in the province this year, Tabuada said.
