Ilocos Norte remains rabies-free; hosts regional summit

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

LAOAG CITY—Over the past two years, the province of Ilocos Norte has sustained its effort as a rabies-free community with zero rabies case recorded so far both in humans and dogs since 2013.

Through a massive dog vaccination drive, covering at least 70 percent of the 557 barangays of the province, Dr. Loida Valenzuela, head of the Provincial Veterinary Office said continuing efforts of a multi-sectoral group composed of various government agencies and non-government organizations including the formation of rabies councils in the province, city, municipality and barangays which primary aim is to control and eradicate rabies in the community and help realize the Rabies-Free Philippines program by the year 2020, and sustain the same through the years.

To showcase its best practices and learn from the experiences of its neighboring provinces in Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, a regional rabies summit was held on March 26 at the Plaza del Norte in Laoag City.

Involving all sectors of the community, the summit hopes to intensify its anti-rabies campaign in time for the observance of Rabies Awareness Month this March.

Five years ago, Ilocos Norte has been one of the five provinces in the Philippines with the highest number of canine rabies incidents.

This prompted the third Sangguniang Panlalawigan to enact an ordinance governing rabies control in the province on March 12, 1997.

In line with the national government’s goal of a Rabies-Free Philippines by year 2020, Ilocos Norte in partnership with the Global Alliance for Rabies Control strived to free people and animals from rabies.

Through the help of organized Bantay Rabies Barangay volunteers, the PVET continue to spearhead mass vaccination of domestic dogs while promoting responsible pet ownership and humane dog population control.

As one of the priority programs of the provincial government under the Millennium Development Goals to control and eradicate zoonotic diseases which includes rabies, Valenzuela hopes the summit will continue to inspire all stakeholders especially at the community level to provide a strong and sustained effort in the control and eradication of this fatal disease, killing hundreds of Filipinos every year, according to the Department of Health.

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