Taguig City gov't sets up second animal bite treatment center

MANILA, Philippines - The Taguig City government on Tuesday opened its second animal bite treatment center in line with its fight to stamp out rabies.

Located in Barangay North Signal, the treatment center offers residents free rabies treatment and vaccination.

“This is another milestone in our continuing campaign to provide free and accessible health care to our constituents. The Taguig City government is always developing new programs and improving existing ones to deliver the social services the people deserves,” Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said.

Cayetano added that with the opening of the second animal bite treatment center in the city’s second district, Taguig residents are assured of quality healthcare.

Dr. Isaias Ramos, officer-in-charge of the City Health Office (CHO), said that before the opening of the second treatment center, animal bite patients had to to go to the treatment center in Barangay Ibayo-Tipas in District 1.

“Rabies is very dangerous and can easily be inflicted on people through bites and scratches so we must have close facilities for treatment available,” Dr. Ramos said.

There are three categories of rabies exposure and therefore subject to different levels of treatment, all of which will be provided for free in the two treatment centers.

The three infection categories are: Category I- Touching, feeding, licking of healthy skin with no mucous membrane contact, casual contact with rabid patient; Category II- Superficial scratch/ abrasion without bleeding, nibbling/ nipping of uncovered skin with bruising and Category III- Single or multiple transdermal bites/scratches, licking of mucous membrane, all head and neck exposures, exposure to rabid patient, handling of infected carcass, licks of broken skin.