Dogs and cats are man’s best friend. They bring joy and vitality to the household of their owners and it is dreading to know that the pets you adore might be a threat to the lives of your household members or to other people. A dog or cat bite might be infected with rabies and a lot of people are unaware of the risks from this deadly disease. As a response to the lack of awareness on rabies, by virtue of Executive Order No. 84 series of 1999, yearly the month of March is declared as Rabies Awareness Month with the theme “Rabies ay iwasan. Alagang aso’t pusa ay pabakunahan”. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of vaccinating the pets against rabies and educating the public of the risks of this disease to obtain a rabies-free country.
As defined by World Health Organization (WH0), rabies is an infectious viral disease that is fatal which affects the nerves and brain. It spreads to people through bites or scratches of an infected animal. Transmission of rabies may occur when the infectious material usually from saliva comes into direct contact with the victim’s fresh skin lesions. According to the Department of Health, rabies is estimated to cause 55, 000 deaths yearly worldwide, with about 56% of the cases occurring in Asia and 43.6% in Africa. In 2019, a total of 32,661 cases of people being bitten by animals were recorded in Zamboanga Peninsula between January and September: 12,101 of which were from Zamboanga City; 7,473 from Zamboanga del Norte; 6,141 from Zamboanga del Sur; 5,893 from Zamboanga Sibugay and 1,053 were from Isabela City.
When a person is infected with rabies, the first symptoms can manifest from a few days to more than a year after the bite happens. At first, the person will feel a tingling or itching feeling around the bitten or scratched area. The person might also feel flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea and tiredness. After a few days, neurological symptoms might develop that includes irritability or aggressiveness, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, unusual postures, seizures, paralysis and extreme sensitivity to bright lights, sounds or touch. The person infected with rabies can also produce a lot of saliva with muscle spasms in the throat that makes it hard to swallow which causes the “foaming at the mouth” effect that has long been associated with rabies infection. It could also lead to a fear of choking or what seems like a “fear of water”, another well-known rabies sign.
To prevent the dreadful symptoms that were mentioned above, pet owners must be responsible of following the steps below:
- Keep them clean and fed. Bathe them regularly and provide them clean food and water. Make sure also that their cages are always clean.
- Vaccinate your pets. All dogs and cats more than four months of age must be vaccinated against rabies. Ask your veterinarian how often your pets should be vaccinated.
- Don’t let your pets roam freely in the streets. Keep your pets inside your home and supervise them when outside. Roaming pets are more likely to have been exposed to rabies than those supervised by their owners.
- Leave stray dogs and cats alone. Loose animals are more likely to have been exposed to rabies and to attack others. Keep your pets away from strays.
If a person is bitten or scratched by an animal that may have rabies, or if the animal licks an open wound, the individual should immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for several minutes and seek prompt medical attention.
Pets are dependent to their owners. In exchange of guarding and keeping your home safe from harm and the happiness they bring to your household, as a pet owner it is your responsibility to secure their health and welfare which includes feeding them, keeping them clean and vaccinating your pets every year. Through being a responsible pet owner and treating your pet as a family member, the goal to attain a rabies free country will be achieved.
NO I Angelica O. Pajulas
