SORSOGON
CITY, June 13 (PIA) – In 1993, the Province of Sorsogon boasted a record of 73.5%
vaccination coverage in a period of one month, the most successful outcome of a
rabies elimination project in the province. So effective it was that no animal
and human rabies cases were reported three years following the project.
Unfortunately, with limited sustained efforts for maintaining freedom, rabies was
re-introduced into the province. This time, Sorsogon is determined more than
ever to repeat their previous success and reclaim their status as a rabies-free
province.
Turning
Thoughts into Actions
The rabies elimination program in
the province has come a long way, from its conceptualization during the term of
former Governor Sally Ante Lee to its implementation initiated by the current
Governor, Hon. Raul Lee and spearheaded by the Provincial Veterinary Office
(PVO) with Dr. Enrique Espiritu at the helm. The Provincial Government also
tapped the participation of the Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK) Provincial Federation wherein the youths from the 541
barangays throughout Sorsogon came together to support the rabies project of
the province through an initiative aptly called “Nagkakaisang Kabataan Sa Pagpuksa ng Rabis.”
To strengthen their rabies
control efforts, the Province of Sorsogon teamed up with the Global Alliance
for Rabies Control (GARC), an international non-profit organization committed
to eliminate human deaths from rabies and relieve the burden of rabies in
animals, especially dogs. On September 19, 2012, a Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) was signed between the province and GARC, represented by its Director for
Asia, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Miranda.
Though it is good news that the
province has recorded a significant decrease in rabies incidence for the past
two years with only two human and four positive canine cases reported last
year, the Provincial Government still saw the need to address the increasing
demand for a rabies control program for the province. Consequently, Governor
Raul Lee issued the Executive Order (EO) Number 002 Series of 2013, which
allowed the ratification of the ordinances in Section 7 (Pet Owners’ Penalties)
of the Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 and created a task
force to intensify its implementation. While the EO stresses the need to intensify
the campaign against rabies, it specifically calls for a more realistic program
ensuring the active participation of the local government units through a task
force that will be formed in partnership with GARC. In response, local
executives particularly the Municipal Mayors have strongly expressed their
support to the GARC-Sorsogon Province Rabies Project.
Sorsogon’s Vigor Goes a Long Way
As
part of the collaboration between Sorsogon and GARC, the Communities Against
Rabies Exposure or CARE Project is currently being implemented in the province.
The CARE Project, which is one of GARC’s key initiatives, generally aims to
engage government authorities, global scientific community, and above all,
communities to develop novel integrated models to include multiple disease and
other public health concerns.
Along
with Sorsogon, other CARE project sites include the Province of Ilocos Norte,
Marikina City, and Cainta Municipality in the Philippines, and Nias Island in
Indonesia.
Various
activities have already been held leading to the launching of the GARC-Sorsogon
Province Rabies Project. On January 28, 2013, more than 300 participants
including SK members, representatives from the Provincial and City Veterinary
Office, Barangay Officials, and Barangay Health Workers, among others
participated in the Orientation-Training for Vaccinators and Barangay Bantay
Rabies Committee (Technical Working Group). Local officials, including Sorsogon
City Councilor Hon. Iñigo Destacamento and Sorsogon City Mayor, Hon. Leovic
Dioneda also graced the event. A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP)
Survey, which involved the Provincial Health Office was also conducted last
February 18 to March 1, 2013.
As
a recipient of the CARE project, vaccination kits and other vaccination paraphernalia
were distributed during the Vaccinators’ Training and Orientation. Tarpaulins,
posters, and billboards have been installed in several strategic places, and localized
materials such as brochures were distributed in a bid to intensify the rabies
Advocacy, Communication, and Education (ACE) campaign of the province.
In
line with the annual celebration of the Rabies Awareness Month in March, the
GARC-Sorsogon Province Rabies Project was formally launched in the Municipality
of Bulan, Sorsogon last March 5, 2013. The Launching was well-attended by the
Mayors and Municipal Agriculturists of the different municipalities and
representatives from the PVO, Governor’s Office, SK Provincial Federation, and
GARC, among others. One of the highlights of the event was the signing of a
symbolic declaration by the participants, signifying their commitment and
involvement towards attaining a rabies-free Sorsogon.
According
to Provincial Veterinarian, Dr. Enrique Espiritu, the GARC-Sorsogon Province
Rabies Project seeks to eliminate the transmission of rabies from one dog to
another by vaccinating at least 70% of the total dog population in the area. In
this case, their goal is to vaccinate at least 70% of the 52,121 dogs
throughout the province within two months. To achieve this target, mass dog
vaccinations were carried out all over Sorsogon from April to May 2013. With a
group of veterinarians on the lead, the SK members were also trained and tapped
as volunteer vaccinators.
The
PVO has recorded 3,655 dogs vaccinated, in just a span of three weeks after the
Vaccinators’ Training in January. Dr. Espiritu also reported that more than a thousand
doses of dog vaccines were initially distributed to the towns of Irosin,
Donsol, Magallanes, and Pilar. While the vaccination is still ongoing, a total
of 15,843 dogs and cats have been vaccinated throughout the province as of May,
2013.
The road
to achieving a rabies-free community may be arduous but the Provincial
Government of Sorsogon is optimistic that this can be accomplished through the
unwavering support and active participation of the Sorsoganons. The
GARC-Sorsogon Rabies Project has given the province a head start on their
rabies elimination project and with their current efforts, Sorsogon is
undoubtedly on its way to becoming a rabies-free province. (Dane Medina, GARC Communications Officer
with inputs from Ms. Benilda Recebido, PIA Sorsogon & Mr. Von Andre
Labalan, PIO Sorsogon)
PHOTOS:
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1) GARC Asia Director, Dr. Mary
Elizabeth Miranda & Sorsogon Provincial Veterinarian, Dr. Enrique Espiritu
pose beside one of the Rabies Billboards installed in Sorsogon; 2) Rabies information poster and
tarpaulin installed at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Office in support
to the GARC-Sorsogon Rabies Project; 3)
(from left to right) Dr. Ederlinda Malonzo from the Sorsogon City Veterinary
Office; Regional Animal Rabies Control Coordinator-RFU 5, Dr. Rona Bernales;
Dr. Enrique Espiritu; & Sorsogon City Veterinarian, Dr. Alexander Destura
with GARC Communications Officer, Ms. Dane Medina for the turn-over of
materials (dog tags and collars, brochures, tarpaulins) during the Vaccinators’
Training; and 4) Staff of the City
Veterinary Office prepare the Vaccination Kits, T-shirts, & other materials
distributed during the Vaccinators’ Training
Scenes from
the province-wide mass vaccination: 6) The
Zone 5 Barangay Patrol of the town of Bulan rove around their barangay
announcing the mass vaccination; 7)
Localized leaflets given upon registration of SK members during the orientation
in the town of Donsol; 8) The
vaccinators assemble at the City Veterinary Office to receive their Vaccination
Kits; 9) Barangay officials after
receiving their vaccination paraphernalia during the project launching; and 10) Agricultural Center Chief, Dr. Venus
Escarda (left)vaccinates a dog as part of the demonstration during the project
launching.
11) GARC Medical Epidemiologist, Dr.
Maria Concepcion Roces discusses the tasks of the participants during the KAP
Survey Orientation in Bulan; 12) Launching of the GARC-Sorsogon Province Rabies Project; 13) Representatives of the SK
Provincial Federation with local executives and GARC Asia Director, Dr. Mary
Elizabeth Miranda (sixth from left) during the project launching; and 14) The Pledge of Commitment signed by
the participants during the launching of the GARC-Sorsogon Rabies Project.
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