City to buy P75T worth of anti-rabies vaccines

City Hall officials want to purchase P750,000 worth of anti-rabies vaccines. This after it was observed that even with the continuous catching of stray dogs, unattended dogs continue to roam the city's urban barangays and have already bitten 200 persons since January.

The city council already approved the purchase of 500 vials of purified inactivated rabies vaccine and city councilor Christopher Alix, who heads the committee on health, said each vial of the Vero cells 0.5ml verorab can be had at P1,500.

Close to 2,000 stray dogs have been caught by personnel of the Department of Veterinary Medicines and Fisheries since January but there are still many stray dogs in the city. Most of the dogs caught were destroyed through an improvised gas chamber because their owners failed to claim them.

The city has an existing ordinance that empowers the barangay officials to require their constituents to register their pet dogs with the DVMF and to have them vaccinated to prevent rabies if they bite a person. The ordinance also required the owners of the pets to pay P300 for the registration fee and for the anti-rabies vaccine.

But a DVMF employee said many barangay officials do not follow the ordinance.

"Ang ubang mga opisyal sa barangay mao pay mangunay pagkuha sa mga iro nga among madakpan nga gipanag-iya sa ilang mga paboritong political supporter," he said.

Here are some tips on how to avoid being bitten by dogs:

* Never approach an unfamiliar dog.

* Never run away from a dog and scream. A dog's natural instinct is to chase once it has smelled fear.

* If near an unfamiliar dog, stand still with hands on the sides, avoid making an eye to eye contact with the animal.

* Avoid disturbing dogs when they are sleeping, eating or tending their puppies. * If bitten, clothing can reduce bite injuries. Report immediately to the animal care and control office. The pet owners are also advised to confine the dog and check the victim's condition.