LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan has recently approved the creation of Task Force Anti-Rabies in view of the high number of rabid dogs in the province.
Fourth District Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday, said the task force will use a multi-sectoral approach with concerted efforts to curb rabies infection.
“It will be composed of a group from the Department of Health (DOH), Department Agriculture (DA), Provincial Health Office (PHO), Municipal/ City Agriculture Office and other stakeholders,” Rosario said.
The task force’s creation is aimed at synchronizing the programs of the different concerned agencies against rabies, he said.
“The DA and its related agencies will handle the preventive side while the DOH will be on the curative side,” he noted.
Rosario further said that the composition of the task force is yet to be discussed but he expressed hope that Governor Amado Espino III himself will be the head, “so that it will be focused on by the province.”
He disclosed that members of the task force will employ massive or mandatory anti-rabies vaccination on pets as prescribed by the Anti-Rabies Act and campaign for responsible pet ownership.
The SP also encouraged the strict implementation of the Anti-Rabies Law, said Rosario.
“The most effective and cheapest solution to this problem is knowledge, because rabies can be prevented,” he said.
In line with the creation of the task force is the launching of a hotline, which will address any questions the residents of the province may have concerning rabies, Rosario said.
The creation of the task force stemmed from the question hour during the SP’s regular session held on Monday, wherein a representative from DA in Ilocos region revealed that of the 136 dogs tested of rabies from January to June 22 this year, 38 were found positive while six human casualties in the province have been recorded on the same period, he added.
Among the towns and cities monitored with high number of dogs found positive of rabies are Sta. Barbara; Lingayen; San Carlos City; Dagupan City; Alaminos City; and Bolinao. (Hilda Austria/PNA)
