The Philippines became one of the first two countries to earn World Organisation for Animal Health’s endorsement (OIE) for its control program for dog-mediated rabies, which shows that the country’s protocol is in line with international standards.
In a recent statement, the OIE recently announced that they endorsed the control programs for dog-mediated rabies of Namibia and the Philippines, a move seen to move forward the global fight against the disease.
“It is the first time that OIE Members could apply for such approbation by the OIE World Assembly,” the Paris-based intergovernmental organizations said.
“This is a great move forward in the fight against this disease, which still kills nearly 60,000 people every year,” the OIE added.
OIE said its endorsement of the Philippines and Namibia’s dog-mediated rabies control programs would allow them to “advocate for support from their governments to progressively prevent and control the disease.”
“The ultimate objective will be to eventually eliminate the disease from their territories and self-declare its freedom, thus contributing to the ‘Zero by 30’ global goal to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies,” it added.
In a statement, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) hailed the endorsement describing it as a “momentous achievement” of the country as it aims to eradicate rabies from the domestic dog and cat population by 2030.
The BAI urged the public to vaccinate their pet dogs and cats to prevent the disease.
“We therefore invite the general public and pet owners to support the government’s program on the control of this deadly but preventable disease. Let us keep in mind to ensure that our pets are properly vaccinated against rabies,” said BAI, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.
BAI said the certification was a result of the joint efforts of the DA, Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, local government units, non-government organizations, the Academe and private sector to fight rabies.
The Philippines is among the top countries with rabies problems in the world with reported deaths of about 200 to 300 Filipinos annually, according to the World Health Organization.