Dinagat Islands sustains rabies-free status
By
Renelle Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga announced that Dinagat Islands remains a rabies-free province.
The
province managed to sustain being rabies-free for nine years.
The seven
municipalities of the province, namely, Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo,
Loreto, San Jose, and Tubajon, joined the other five towns in Surigao del Norte
as the 12 local government units (LGUs) in Caraga Region that were officially
declared rabies-free.
Dr.
Esther CardeΓ±o, regional rabies coordinator of DA-Caraga, said, “From 2015 up
to the present, a total of 12 local government units have sustained the
declaration of rabies-free, wherein five are island municipalities in Siargao
Island, Surigao del Norte and all towns in the Province of Dinagat
Islands.”
“Dinagat
Islands is the first and still the only province in Caraga to receive such a
declaration,” Dr. CardeΓ±o added.
In line with the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program (NRPCP)
of the government, on March 16, 2016, the regional offices of the
Department of Health and Department of Agriculture officially declared
the Province of Dinagat Islands a rabies-free zone. This declaration
inspired the province and other local government units to support the
long-term goal of the NRPCP to make the country rabies-free by 2020.
Photo courtesy of DA-Caraga.
The
official declaration to be a rabies-free province is the result of the
intensified and sustainable campaign put in place by the DA, Department of
Health, provincial government of Dinagat Islands, and LGUs, with the
strong engagement of responsible pet owners and the community against the disease.
“We push
for strategic measures in eliminating rabies in our province. Our advocacy
through information awareness and mass dog vaccination and canine castration
campaigns paved the way for Dinagat Islands to sustain its rabies-free status,”
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Aimee Jimeno shared with DA Caraga.
On November 17, 2023, the Provincial Veterinary Office in Dinagat
Islands conducted a mass canine castration in Barangay Jacquez and Santa
Cruz in San Jose town as an annual directive to sustain the rabies-free
province. Photo courtesy of PVO-PDI.
The
provincial government of Dinagat Islands also implemented dog control measures
through the enforcement of local ordinances in accordance with Republic Act
9482, or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, as this law directs LGUs to ensure that
all dogs are properly immunized and, where there are stray dogs, to strictly
enforce dog impounding activities.
“All
municipalities in the province consistently implement impounding measures for
stray dogs,” Jimeno added.
According
to DOH, rabies is an infection that affects humans and is usually transmitted
by a bite or scratch of an infected animal. It is responsible for the deaths of
at least 200 Filipinos annually.
Through its lead agencies, the government intensifies its efforts to put an end to this public health problem through effective engagement with the local government units’ animal bite treatment centers and upskilled medical practitioners on updates on the management of human rabies, animal bites, adverse reactions to vaccination, rabies diagnosis, cold chain management, and on-going control programs in the country. (RLE/PIA-Dinagat Islands)
