By Jezza A. Nepomoceno

The Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry in the Western Visayas will be providing the provincial government with 16,344 vials of anti-rabies vaccines this week, worth P9.8 million.
According to Provincial Veterinarian Silvino Teodosio, Jr., the plan is to provide “high density one-time vaccinations” in all 1,721 barangays. One vial can immunize ten dogs.
“The goal is to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the dog population in three months’ time this summer,” he explained.
Teodosio noted, establishing herd immunity through vaccination is very important since dog bite cases have increased. If dog vaccination remains low, the risk of rabies infection is high.
According to 2016 data, there were 28,919 dog bite cases recorded, while 52 percent of the dog population was vaccinated. Of the dog bite cases, one died from rabies./WDJ