Rabies council to strictly enforce anti-rabies law

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Rabies Control Council seeks to strengthen the implementation of Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 due to increasing dog bite cases in the province.

March is Rabies Awareness Month and local health units reinforce their long-time campaign of reducing the upsurge of dog and other animal bites cases.

The Cebu Provincial Health Office, through its Animal Bite Treatment Center, has tapped the local police force in enforcing the existing national law, specifically in disciplining irresponsible pet owners.

Dominic Tagnipez, program coordinator of the Animal Bite Treatment Center, said the council that was conceived in 2018 gathered for its first meeting with the Philippine National Police officers last year.

He said the council is already establishing coordination with the police for the strict enforcement of the anti-rabies law.

Tagnipez lamented that irresponsible pet owners usually take lightly their offenses or violations but with police assistance, offenders will be compelled to take on their responsibilities and face their consequences.

He said irresponsible pet owners will face penalties as much as P25,000 for defying the rules.

Under the law, owners will be fined P500 every time their pet will go outdoors or a person will send them outdoors without a dog chain.

Once dogs stray along the streets and are rescued by the barangay, the owners can claim their dogs at P500 to P1,000.

Also, owners will be meted with P2,000 if they fail to have their pets registered or vaccinated on the anti-rabies shots.

Owners can be fined with a huge amount of P10,000 if he or she refuses to observe or monitor his or her dog that has bitten a person and this penalty can go as high as P25,000 if he or she also refuses to help the dog bite victim in the medical expenses.

Tagnipez also encourages responsible pet ownership so as to help in the reduction of animal bite cases.

Annual report from the Animal Bite Treatment Center showed that there is an increasing trend of dog and other animal bite cases in Cebu province, in a six year span. Cases dropped a bit in 2018.

In 2013, the center recorded a total of 17,249 animal bite cases; 20,796 in 2014; 23,629 in 2015; 24,701 in 2016; 29,591 in 2017; and 29,326 in 2018.

Deaths of patients who are clinically diagnosed of rabies infection have also increased in the same year period.

At least three patients died in 2013 and 2014; six in 2015 and 2016; 10 in 2017; and in 2018, nine persons died, two are from Cebu City.  (FREEMAN)