Dog bite patients on the rise – DOH

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) has noted a high number of dog bite patients at the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) and blamed it on the proliferation of unvaccinated dogs.

DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag posted in his Twitter account that around 300 dog bite patients were treated at the SLH’s Out Patient Department.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona had discussed the problem with the Department of Agriculture (DA), which works with local government units on dog vaccination program.

“Dogs that have rabies are usually the stray dogs -- the unvaccinated dogs,” Ona told reporters after the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel Forum yesterday.

He said dog vaccination does not fall under the jurisdiction of the DOH but of the DA.

He lamented that while dog vaccination is mandated under Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, many dog owners still fail to get their dogs vaccinated.

Under the law, pet owners are required to submit their dogs for registration with the local government units, not to allow them to roam the street or any public place, and provide them with “proper grooming, adequate food and clean shelter.”

Ona said the DOH is aiming to eliminate rabies as a “public health threat” by 2015.

“We will not be able to reach zero (human rabies) cases but there should only be few cases, unlike the situation that we have now.”

Ona said to achieve this goal, the DOH would allocate funds for the DA’s  vaccination programs for dogs, now numbering around 10 million.