By Anna liza Cabrido/PNA
KORONADAL CITY — The city government has expanded its rabies vaccination program for pet animals, especially dogs, as it moves to maintain the area free from the deadly disease.
Dr. Paul Aloot, animal welfare and protection division chief of the City Veterinary Office, said Thursday they have launched another round of house-to-house rabies vaccination activities to cover more warm-blooded pet animals in the area.
He said they are targeting to cover 25 of the city’s 27 barangays for the campaign in the next seven months or until August.
“It’s important for pet owners to have their dogs and other warm-blooded animals vaccinated to prevent possible outbreaks of rabies,” he told reporters.
For this month, he said they scheduled the vaccination activities in Barangays Concepcion, Magsaysay, San Roque, Carpenter Hill and Saravia.
The vaccination teams will proceed to Barangays San Isisdro, Mambucal and Sta. Cruz in March; Paraiso, Morales and Zone III in April; Zone I, Zone II and Zone IV in May; General Paulino Santos and Avancena in June; Caloocan, New Pangasinan, Rotonda, Mabini, Esperanza, Cacub and San Jose in July; and Assumption and Topland in August.
Aloot said the schedule could still change in case they complete the vaccination activities in some areas much earlier.
For private housing subdivisions and villages, he said they will conduct the campaign during Saturdays to ensure that pet owners are in their homes.
The official assured that the local government has enough supply of vaccines to cover all vulnerable pet animals in these areas.
The City Veterinary Office has documented a total of 13,576 pet dogs in the entire city based on a census conducted last month.
The local government did not record a single case of rabies infection and death last year after posting two cases in 2017.
The Integrated Provincial Health Office of South Cotabato reported five rabies deaths in 2018, with two cases each in Tupi and Lake Sebu towns and one in Banga.
The province recorded a total of 18 rabies deaths in 2017, the highest in Region 12 or Soccsksargen.
