THE ZAMBOANGA CITY Rabies Control and Eradication Coordinating Council (ZCRCECC) has recorded a total of two human and 24 animal rabies cases in 2018.
Dr. Mario Arriola, city veterinarian, on Wednesday said the human rabies cases were reported in Barangays Curuan and Cawit with one case each.
Arriola, the executive officer of the ZCRCECC, has expressed concern over the non-availability of human anti-rabies vaccines and reports on possible proliferation of counterfeit vaccines in some areas of the National Capital Region (NCR), as emphasized by the City Health Office.
Arriola noted that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has only 2,000 doses of animal anti-rabies vaccine allocation for this city.
The scarcity of supply, he said, has prompted the ZCRCECC to request funding from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to procure additional rabies vaccines.
Dr. Arnedo Agbayani, animal health division chief of the Office of City Veterinarian (OCVet), said the council has recorded 6,945 animal bite incidents, 40.6 percent of which affected children 15 years old and below, while 59.4 percent affected above 15 years old.
Agbayani said that a total of 27,381 dogs and cats were vaccinated last year while the City Pound office recorded the impoundment of 2,343 dogs and cats.
Arriola said the city government lined up several activities in line with the observance of the Rabies Awareness Month in March, anchored on the theme “Makiisa sa Baranggayan Kontra Rabies, Maging Responsableng Pet Owner.”(By Teofilo Garcia, Jr)
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