Building a United Front: How One Province in the Philippines is Breaking Rabies Boundaries

I am a village veterinarian in Agusan del Norte, one of the provinces of the Philippines. For many years, annual rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats were a standard part of our veterinary activities. However, before adopting a One Health Approach in our rabies prevention and control program, we faced numerous challenges: limited funding and workforce in both veterinary and human health sectors, inconsistent canine rabies vaccination coverage, poor coordination among program implementers, and unreliable data due to scarce and manual record-keeping. These obstacles were compounded by a rising number of dog bites and continued human rabies fatalities. In 2014 and 2015, the situation became even more alarming as rabies cases began to appear in livestock, including swine, goats, cattle, and water buffaloes.

Amid these challenges, rabies program stakeholders convened at a provincial rabies summit, fully supported by our governor, Hon. Maria Angelica Rosedell Amante. The summit's key outcome was the development of a unified rabies program rooted in the One Health Approach. This initiative linked veterinary services, human health, social services, and management information offices, and engaged policymakers to pass ordinances ensuring program support. We also launched an easy-to-use rabies management information system for recording, storing, and maintaining databases for both veterinary and human health components. To ensure sustainability, the program included a cost-recovery system that collected modest fees from dog owners and animal bite patients.

Since its implementation in 2016, the program has led to notable successes. We have streamlined record-keeping, making databases for dog registration, vaccination, and animal bite cases easily accessible. Canine rabies vaccination coverage and dog registration rates have increased, as has the number of animal bite patients receiving post-exposure prophylaxis. From 2016 to 2023, we have recorded a significant reduction in both human and animal rabies cases. The cost-recovery system has generated revenue that supports job creation, boosts the rabies workforce, funds equipment and supplies, and compensates staff at bite centers while incentivizing local veterinary counterparts. The integration of stakeholders has fostered a united and coordinated effort against rabies across the province.

Receiving the World Rabies Day Award from the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and Boehringer Ingelheim in 2024, is deeply meaningful for our province. This recognition fuels the momentum of collaboration essential in the fight against rabies. The tools provided by GARC and Boehringer Ingelheim, such as the Rabies Vaccination and Sterilization Tracker, the Rabies Case Surveillance tools, and the Education Initiative Tracker, will be pivotal in enhancing our efforts. This award serves as an inspiration for us and for many others, especially the dog vaccinators, reminding us that whether we work in urban areas or remote villages, our mission to protect communities from rabies is vital. Through ongoing collaboration, we can achieve a world free of rabies, starting from our local efforts and expanding globally.

Article contributed by Dr. Joseph Rizalyndo Dargantes, Provincial Veterinary Office, Agusan delNorte, Philippines