DOH entomologist urges public to avoid delaying treatment for rabies
By Niña Jonalyn Gambe-Diamante
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — “Time is of the essence when it comes to rabies cases,” said Niel H. Nituda, entomologist III of the Department of Health – Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga during the Kapihan sa PIA on September 22 at SM City Butuan.
According to Nituda, no time should be wasted in the event of animal bites. A person bitten by an animal such as dogs or cats, after thoroughly cleaning their wound, must immediately seek proper treatment from animal bite centers (ABCs) for private practitioners, and public health centers for those seeking medical attention from public practitioners.
“The basic intervention that we can do for those who have been bitten by animals is to administer post-exposure prophylaxis more commonly known as anti-rabies vaccination,” shared Nituda. “Through such treatment, we will be able to prevent the virus from being transmitted to the brain, which is already a critical stage of the infection,” he added.
The DOH-CHD official explained the process that a patient must go through to avoid or cure the infection. “One must undergo the complete course of treatment. We continue our monitoring from Day 0 to Day 7. And if the biting animal dies, the treatment and monitoring will continue all the way up to Day 28,” explained Nituda.
He also responded to the usual complaints of patients why there are so many medical vaccinations that one must receive when bitten by an animal such as anti-tetanus, antibiotics, Immunoglobulin, among others.
“The vaccines are necessary since we are dealing with an invisible enemy. As medical professionals, we do our best to make sure that patients do not succumb to the ill effects of animal bites and rabies. We must not be complacent especially in dealing with rabies as a deadly disease.”
September 28 of every year is observed as the ‘World Rabies Day,’ as it was established in 2007 by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control. The commemoration aims to raise awareness for rabies prevention and treatment all over the world, and to urge everyone to treat such disease seriously as it can be deadly if left untreated.
In Caraga, the DOH-CHD continues their fight against rabies primarily by fostering awareness and education pertaining to such disease—its root cause, prevention, and treatment—through consistent information dissemination efforts such as the Kapihan sa PIA. (NJGD/PIA Caraga)
