The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will be helping the Philippines come up with cheaper diagnostic kits for rabies and develop a data-sharing system.
In a news statement, Jica said this is part of the Establishment of One Health Prevention and Treatment Model for Elimination of Rabies.
The program, which is conducted with the Department of Health (DOH), is being piloted in Bulacan which has the highest case of rabies in the country.
“Japan has been rabies-free since the 1950s made possible when we strictly implemented the anti-rabies law and held mass vaccinations of pets. Through this project, we are sharing our approach in eliminating rabies in Japan so the Philippines will effectively eradicate this disease,” said Japanese expert Nobuo Saito from Japan’s Oita University.
Jica said rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, and is mainly transmitted through bites and exposure from the saliva of infected animals.
In most countries, including the Philippines, more than 97 percent of rabies cases are from dogs. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 59,000 people die from rabies worldwide each year.
The Philippines is one of the top countries with high cases of rabies diseases, with 200 human deaths from rabies every year.
According to the Provincial Veterinary Office of Bulacan, the province had the ninth highest record of animal bite cases among all provinces in 2018.
“Filipinos are known for being dog lovers and that’s why there’s strong need to emphasize responsible pet ownership and mass vaccination to control rabies,” Saito said.
Under Philippine law or Republic Act 9482 (Anti-Rabies Act of 2007), pets should be vaccinated and a pet owner is responsible for the medication of person bitten by his or her pet.
However, Jica said, enforcement of the law has proven to be challenging in the Philippines because of cultural factors and low awareness on the disease among the general public.
The project is under Jica’s Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development or SATREPS, where Japanese institutions and partner countries work together to solve social problems.
Oita University and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI), as well as the local health office of Bulacan Province, are partners in the project.