Man in Santiago City dies of rabies

Santiago City, Isabela – Dog owners are cautioned anew against the dangers of rabies infection.

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease affecting the central nervous system. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal, says the World Health Organization.

Early in March 2023, Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman of the national health department reported 55 rabies cases that resulted in deaths in the first two months of the year. The figure, she said, is 8 percent higher than the 51 cases reported in the same period last year.

Just this week, the City Health Office of Santiago in Isabela confirmed the death of a 25-year-old man due to the viral disease.

The man from Barangay Buenavista and whose specific identities were withheld, sustained a minor dog bite.

He went to schedule for anti-rabies vaccination but did not push through due to the long queue.

Accordingly, he suffered symptoms such as a cold and headache before his death last week.

Dog owners are again being called to have their pets vaccinated against rabies to avoid such incidents.

In the event of a dog bite, wash the wound with soap and water, disinfect the wound with alcohol or povidone-iodine, and then seek medical help.

Santiago’s CHO is now preparing their animal bite center for them to administer anti-rabies shots again.

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