Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz, who also heads the BRPEC, expressed confidence that the target of making Bohol rabies-free starting this year is achievable with proper coordination of local officials.
"If Bohol pegs a high dog vaccination rate, it is most likely that we can be declared free from the threat of rabies this year and beyond," said Lapiz.
Much of the success would come mostly from the Bantay Rabies sa Barangay (BRB) overseeing the registration and vaccination of dogs in their areas. "The continued active involvement of local leaders will also play major roles in this objective," Dr. Lapiz said.
BRB is a community-based volunteer group composed mostly of barangay officials whose main responsibility is to execute the anti-rabies program at the frontlines according to established implementing guidelines and adhere to provision of existing national and provincial laws.
Rabies causes a serious brain infection, a virus that can be transmitted to man from canines mostly by animal bites. A bitten and infected person would have said virus travel to his or her central nervous system and once there, the condition becomes fatal and is seldom treatable, says medical practitioners.
Bohol, an emerging tourist destination and an island aspiring to be a haven for tourists is "simply irreconcilable with rabies," Dr. Lapiz said, adding that "rabies and tourists are a dangerous combination."
Operating from a concept of sustainable program that is community-driven, the BRPEC members are rolling up their sleeves and have organized municipal and barangay councils charged with the thorough and effective implementation of the rabies eradication program.
Using dog population control and vaccination, coupled with a neuterization program as dog population management, the campaign to vaccinate dogs in Bohol have started to roll.
"We have gone from a slow start and we have achieved quite a lot from the fact that Bohol once topped Central Visayas in the number of rabies cases," she said.
In 2009, representatives from three Asian countries were in the province to observe the successful implementation of the Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication (BPRE) Program, which has caught the attention of the international community.
Delegates from China, Japan, and South Korea have gone to Bohol to learn about the province-wide implementation of the rabies prevention and eradication program, which the province partners with foreign donors.
Aside from observing program implementation, the study tour participants have also exchanged ideas with the BRPE Council members to gather significant insights on program implementation.
Rabies and Wildlife: A Biologist's Perspective
Population Dynamics of
Rabies in Wildlife
Rabies Prevention: Current Situation in Southeast and Central Europe
Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2007 *: National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV).(Recommendations and ... from: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
CDC World Rabies Day symposium--September 28, 2009.(Notice to Readers)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): An article from: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
