By Erwin Nicavera/PNA
BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has urged local government units in Negros Occidental to allocate funds for the purchase of anti-rabies vaccines.
Dr. Ryan Janoya, head of PVO Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division, said as of Tuesday, the province’s available supply is inadequate to cover the entire dog population in Negros Occidental.
“Negros Occidental lacks vaccines for rabies. LGUs should not only rely on the provincial government,” he said.
Janoya said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) can only provide 500 vials of anti-rabies vaccines for the province this year.
“We are doing visits to mayors and other local officials to encourage them to allocate budget for anti-rabies vaccines,” he added.
Records showed the dog population in Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City, is about 262,000.
The number is based only on household survey, and does not include stray dogs.
At least 6 percent or almost 16,000 heads have been vaccinated as of January 31 this year.
“This is still minimal as we have increased the target vaccination to 80 percent,” Janoya said.
Based on previous records, the PVO has reached its previous vaccination target of 70 percent, and even reached 90 percent in some years.
However, there are still positive rabies cases every year, which PVO attributes to the presence of stray dogs, which are usually not covered by the house-to-house vaccination.
“Stray dogs have become the reservoir of rabies virus in the community. We are currently focusing on intensifying the catching and impounding measures through the support of LGUs,” he added.
Janoya said that LGUs are considered front-liners in terms of stray dog control.
This year, there are three positive cases of canine rabies in the province — one in Candoni town and two in Himamaylan City.
Data from the Provincial Health Office showed there are already six suspected human deaths due to rabies this 2019.
