Garcia wants province rabies free by 2013

CEBU, Philippines - Following the recent declaration of the Camotes Group of Islands and Malapascua Island as rabies free zones, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she would want the entire province to be rabies free by 2013, eight years ahead of the national target in 2020.

The formal declaration of Camotes Group of Islands and Malapascua Island as “Rabies Free Zone” highlighted the celebration of World Rabies Day last September 29, 2011. The celebration was held at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City in collaboration with the Animal Welfare Coalition, and Merial, Novartis, Sanofi and Nestle Philippines, Inc.

The declaration was spearheaded by the National Rabies Committee, an inter-agency committee composed of Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), private sector and non-government organizations.

Since 2008, the NRC has issued the declaration to a province or municipality that has no positive cases of both human and dog rabies.

Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said it was the first time that more than one island was declared.

Although Malapascua technically is a part of the Municipality of Daanbantayan, it is under the administrative supervision of the Province of Cebu.

Responding to the challenge of Garcia, Vincoy said they are now initiating simultaneous vaccination in all local government units across the province.

“We are hoping that by the end of December, we will reach an 80 percent vaccination coverage based on the total dog population in the whole province,” Vincoy told The FREEMAN.

To date, she said that around 15 LGUs already have achieved 100 percent vaccination coverage based on their total dog population.

To sustain the areas that were already declared rabies free zone, Vincoy said that they are now “technically very strict with the entry and exit of dogs.”

Vincoy said they are already identifying quarantine officers to check vaccination cards for dogs and cats at the entry points like Danao City for Camotes Island and Maya wharf in Daanbantayan for Malapascua Island.

“We will deploy personnel to check boats if dogs have vaccination card before given shipping permit,” Vincoy added. (FREEMAN)