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As of February 25, there have been 55 confirmed cases of rabies in the Philippines, an eight percent rise from the same time last year.

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Director of the Department of Health’s Epidemiology Division Alethea de Guzman remarked that the number was four cases more than the 51 cases recorded last year in an online Kapihan media forum on Friday.

“When something bad happens, is that the name of the thing?” (When you say cases, are these also fatalities). As previously stated, rabies is virtually always lethal, and the 55 occurrences I’m referring to in 2023 will all result in fatalities, she said.

Central Luzon recorded the greatest percentage of human rabies cases among the regions, with 11 cases, or 20%. Region 4-A (Calabarzon) comes in second with nine cases, or 16 percent, followed by Regions of Bicol with five cases, or 9 percent, Northern Mindanao with four cases, or 7 percent, and Region of Davao with four cases, or 7 percent.

The DOH and concerned government organizations have proclaimed rabies-free in eight of the 81 provinces as of 2020. They include Siquijor, Biliran, Catanduanes, Camiguin, Marinduque, the Dinagat Islands, and Romblon.

Between 2008 to 2023, ages 20 to 59 makeup about 54 percent of human rabies cases nationwide, while males make up 72 percent of recorded cases.

According to the World Health Organization, rabies kills about 59,000 people annually, with Asia and Africa accounting for 95% of these deaths.

Children under the age of 15 make up about 40% of the cases.

With up to 99 percent of the instances that have been reported, domestic dogs are to blame for the spread of the disease from infected animals to humans.

“Safe tayo, hindi kesyo alaga natin. They need to be updated and up-to-date in order for us to be protected even if we accidentally harm them. This isn’t because they are our pets. Our dogs must be vaccinated, and their immunization must be renewed, so in case we get bitten, we are protected) from rabies,” de Guzman said.

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