Do not underestimate the bite of a dog. If you do, it could potentially cost you your life.
Recently, the Daily Tribune reported that a 31-year-old factory worker was bitten on the hand while attempting to reach for a towel near a restrained dog that unexpectedly lunged at him. The bite resulted in a partial tear of his fingernail.
He sought treatment at a private clinic where he received a single dose of the vaccine but neglected to complete the remaining doses due to concerns related to his job. This decision was made despite the fact that he discovered the dog exhibited symptoms of rabies on the same day as the incident. The dog was subsequently euthanized.
Nine months following the bite, he began to exhibit symptoms of rabies, including the hallmark signs of fear of wind and water. Initially, he was misdiagnosed with acid reflux. However, upon being referred to another hospital, he was correctly diagnosed with rabies. He passed away within hours.
It is indeed a tragic tale. He might still be alive today had he completed his anti-rabies vaccination schedule.
In May of last year, MindaNews published a comprehensive report on rabies in the Davao Region. The regional office of the Department of Health reported a 50% rise in rabies-related fatalities – increasing from 24 deaths in 2023 to 36 in 2024.
The MindaNews report ranked Davao del Norte as having the most recorded deaths with 13 fatalities; it represented an increase of over 300% compared to the three cases in 2023. Davao de Oro reported seven deaths; Davao del Sur, five; Davao Occidental, four; Davao Oriental, four; and Davao City, three.
Rabies should not be taken lightly as it is deadly, once the symptoms appear. The victim would go through a state of zombification before dying. According to a new Italian study, there is even a possibility that the rabies virus might evolve into an “apocalyptic” sickness that transforms people into hyper-aggressive “zombies.”
According to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), rabies accounts for approximately 59,000 fatalities each year globally, with 95% of these deaths occurring in the regions of Asia and Africa.
“Effective and safe vaccines to prevent the disease in humans and animals have been available for decades. However, its elimination is hampered by poverty and ignorance about the disease and its prevention,” the health department says.
The United Nations health agency states that domesticated dogs are responsible for nearly 99% of rabies cases worldwide. Actually, the main carriers of the virus are bats.
Aside from dogs, the virus is also carried by cats, cattle, horses, swine, goats, rabbits, and monkeys. Human beings are also carriers once they are bitten by rabid animals. It is “extremely rare” in squirrels, rats, and mice.
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) reports that between 200 and 300 Filipinos succumb to rabies each year. Nevertheless, health professionals express concern that the actual number of fatalities may be significantly higher than the reported figures. They suspect that the death toll could be elevated due to numerous unreported cases in the more isolated regions of the country.
The monitoring of rabies across many areas of the nation is insufficient and does not receive the same level of attention as other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of laboratories equipped to conduct rabies diagnostics.
The issue of rabies has existed alongside humanity, with references in historical texts from the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. The word “rabies” itself is derived from the Sanskrit term rabhas, which translates to “to do violence.”
“Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system,” RITM explains. “It is transmitted to a person through a bite of an infected animal. All warm-blooded animals may carry the rabies virus.”
The rabies virus is transmitted mostly through a bite. Less common methods of transmission include scratches, abrasions, or open wounds that were exposed to infected animals’ saliva.
Other types of contact like petting a rabid animal or exposure to its blood urine or feces are not considered at risk for infection, according to Makati Medical Center (MMC).
“The usual pattern of transmission is dog to dog and then from dog to human,” says Dr. Dr. Mary Elizabeth Miranda, one of the country’s top experts on rabies.
“(The rabies virus) can be transmitted when infectious material, usually saliva, comes into direct contact with a victim’s fresh skin lesions,” the health department says. “Rabies may also occur, though in very rare cases, through inhalation of virus-containing spray or through organ transplants.”
The best defense once you are bitten or scratched by a dog or cat is vaccination. You can immediately go directly to your health centers. But before doing so, clean the wound or scratch area with soap and running tap water. Once cleaning is done, apply an antiseptic like iodine or betadine to kill the virus.
“Post-exposure prophylaxis is immediately given to humans exposed to rabies,” the MMC says. “It consists of human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine administered on the day of exposure and again in intervals.”
Those bitten by animals which carry the rabies virus should receive “active” and “passive” immunization, whether the animal turns out to be infected or not. In the active form, a vaccine is injected daily for 14 to 30 days and the patient’s immune system responds by producing antibodies.
When the course is finished, booster doses should be given after 10 and 20 days. In “passive” immunization, rabies immunoglobulin or antiserum should be administered to provide “ready-made” antibodies and another weapon to fight the infection.
