The Philippines Government announced in January this year that they would aim to eliminate rabies nationwide by 2016 instead of 2020.


• For this to succeed it needs to " go to the dogs " by transfer of about 70 million pesos from the Department of Health to the Department of Agriculture. Why ? Almost all cases of human rabies results from bites of infected dogs – especially " asong kalye ". The way forward is to buy dog anti – rabies vaccines, and aim for mass dog vaccination ( at least ¾ of the estimated 10 million dogs in the country ).


• Rabies has practically a 100% mortality rate in animals and humans. There is no cure. There have been several hundred cases of animal – and human – rabies each year in the Philippines. Last year less than 160 deaths were recorded in humans. At least a third of these are in children under 15 years old. Of course MOST of possibly a quarter of a million animal bite cases each year are NOT rabid, but there’s also a risk of tetanus.

Worldwide, 60,000 annual human fatalities from rabies is probably an underestimate. Mass vaccination of dogs is agreed to be the best way to reduce human cases. Rabies is almost never transmitted between humans.


• The rabies virus is transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal. There is no test to prove it during life. Other infections may have similar symptoms / also be present. The incubation period is unpredictable. Ideally after immediate first aid ( simple wound cleaning ), vaccination should be started ( whether or not there has been previous vaccination ). The suspect animal should be quarantined and watched for up to 2 weeks, when ( if it’s still healthy ) the human vaccination may cease.


• Such " post exposure prophylaxis " has for over a century been an effective counter-measure to rabies infection for millions each year.

Good luck to the Philippines in their aim to eliminate – or at least reduce numbers – of this terrible disease sooner rather than later .