Davao’s free anti-rabies vaccines may run out by mid-year

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 Feb) — An official from the City Health Office – Animal Bite Treatment Center (CHO-ABTC) here estimated that their free anti-rabies vaccines might be used up by mid-year.

Stray dogs are said to be a major source of rabies. MindaNews file photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

ABTC district health physician Yleona Ysabel Camelotes said that they only have 4,000 allocated free anti-rabies vaccine vials for this year, which can only accommodate “more or less 1,000 people.”

“Usually by mid or end of year, we run out of the vaccine. The patient won’t come only once. It requires three doses, or depending how much the patient will need,” Camelotes said in a press conference at the Davao City Investment and Promotions Center conference room Thursday morning.

Camelotes added that high demand for animal bite vaccines and possible price changes of vaccines, especially during summer, affected their mid-year predictions.

If this happens, they would be ready to recommend those people who’d want to avail anti-rabies vaccines to go to other offices, such as Lingap Para sa Mahirap Program of the City Mayor’s Office. Sometimes, she said the patients “will spend out of their own pockets.”

This is apart from their prioritization for immunoglobulins, which she said are expensive to avail.

Based on the data obtained by MindaNews, CHO-ABTC had 7,050 purified chick embryo cell culture (PCECV) vaccine supply last year, which are used to prevent or treat rabies exposure.

Most of the vaccines the CHO-ABTC usually have are PCECV and tetanus toxoids, for tetanus wounds brought by animal bites.

Camelotes said that if patients would need post-exposure prophylaxis, or a combination of medications that can prevent the spread of rabies infection, they would generally refer the patients to private hospitals to seek these treatments.

CHO-ABTC recorded 48,483 rabies-infected cases and three rabies-related deaths last year in Davao City.

Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama, in an Inquirer report, stated that despite the “alarming” rise of rabies cases around the world, the national government slashed its anti-rabies vaccine procurement.

He specified that in the case of Davao Region, which only had P1-million allocation this year, which would “equate to 1,000 vials.” Last year, the government allocated P8 million.

The World Health Organization’s website about rabies mentioned that in the Philippines, 284 human rabies cases were reported in 2022, compared to 213 cases in 2012.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported that from January to May 2024, there were 169 reported rabies cases, which is 13% higher than the same period in 2023.

Dumama said that DOH recorded 36 cases of rabies-related deaths from January 1 to December 31, 2024 in the Davao Region. This is higher compared to 24 cases in the same period in 2023. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)