Guard dog attacks girl at Capitol

CEBU, Philippines – A strange incident occurred at the Capitol grounds yesterday morning when the guard dog of the provincial government bit a four-year-old child who was running passed by the dog.

The child, Aira Marie Labitad, is the daughter of a fruit vendor who maintains a stall outside the Capitol.

Witnesses said the child was running with a friend towards one of the booths of the agri-fair at the Capitol grounds when the guard dog attacked her and bit her on the left side of her body. The guard dog reportedly was about to bite the second time, but its handler managed to stop the attack by holding the dog's mouth open.

The handler also sustained a wound on his hand.

Both the child and the handler were brought to the Provincial Health Clinic for immediate treatment. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said financial assistance will be extended upon recommendation of the Provincial Social Welfare Office that is monitoring the child's condition.

The provincial government has since acquired the services of guard dogs, but it was the first time yesterday that a K9 unit bit someone.

Statistics issued by the Animal Bite Treatment Center of the Cebu City Health Department early this year revealed that the number of persons bitten by dogs is increasing since 1999, but the casualties had dropped.

Last year alone, a total of 3,731 persons were bitten by dogs in different barangays of Cebu City although only one of them died of rabies.

In 1999, there were only 1,096 persons bitten mostly by stray dogs, but while there were fewer victims, five of them had died of rabies virus, said Dr. Susan Adlawan, head of the Animal Bite Treatment Center.

Records also show that in 2000, the number of reported dog bites had climbed to 1,796 with nine deaths. In 2001, the number of persons bitten by dogs rose to 1,955 with five deaths and increased to 2,058 with 10 deaths in 2002.

Adlawan said there were 2,030 dog bite victims in 2003 and the number climbed to 3,084 the following year. The number again rose to 3,088 in 2005, then to 3,469 in 2006, and then to 3,792 in 2007. She added there were 3,421 dog bites victims in 2008 and 3,731 last year.

Despite of the increasing number of dog bites victims the past decade, Adlawan proudly announced that the number of deaths due to rabies had went down. Only one casualty was recorded in 2003 and 2004, three the following year, two in 2006 and zero deaths in 2007 and 2008. (THE FREEMAN)