NegrOr steps up anti-rabies drive 

by Jennifer Catan-Tilos

DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug. 26 (PIA) The Provincial Veterinarian Office (PVO) of Negros Oriental) has intensified its anti-rabies prevention and control campaign to attain a Rabies- Free zone and the millennium development goals in 2015. 

Speaking before the local health and agriculture personnel in a provincial rabies mid-year review, Chief of Hospital, Dr. Felix Sy urged all local government units (LGUs) to intensively continue administer dog vaccination to reach the target accomplishment of 80 percent of the total dog population by the end of this year.

Under its rabies eradication program, PVO was able to vaccinate 48,503 dogs from January to July, this year. 

Therefore, more than 50 percent of the total 95,769 dog population in Negros Oriental has been immunized. 

Dr. Sy said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) provided free vaccines to the province to complete the dog immunization for the remaining months. 

Of the 6,349 vials of vaccines received by PVO, 5,545 were distributed to municipalities and cities. 

With one person died of rabies in the municipality of Mabinay, the campaign should be intensified to attain the zero mortality by next year, said Dr. Sy. 

Rabies is a viral infection that can be transmitted to humans through the dog’s saliva. Rabies can be fatal once it reaches a person’s central nervous system. 

BMGF funded US.2million grant for the “Rabies-Free Visayas Islands” project which covers Western, Central and Eastern Visayas regions until 2013. 

Negros Oriental has been identified as one of the recipient-provinces in Central Visayas of the US$2.2-million grant from the Bill and Melina (B&M) Gates Foundation for rabies prevention and control program. (PIA NegOr/JCT)