Philippines tallies 169 rabies cases, 160 deaths since January 2024

MANILA: The Philippines has tallied 169 human rabies cases and 160 deaths from January to May this year, the government said Wednesday.

The country’s Department of Health (DOH) said the number of cases this year is 13 per cent higher than the 150 cases recorded in the same period last year, Xinhua reported.

Over 90 per cent of the cases contracted the virus from dog bites, while around 6 per cent from cat or other animal bites. The DOH said it is still checking the status of the nine patients who contracted the deadly virus.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease affecting the central nervous system. The incubation period for rabies is typically two to three months but may vary from a week to a year, depending on factors such as the location of virus entry and the viral load.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa urgently calls on all Filipinos to get their pets vaccinated against rabies and to seek immediate medical attention if they are bitten by dogs or cats.