ValuCare, Dr. Care Team up to Expand Access to Animal Bite Treatment Nationwide

Got bitten or scratched by an animal? Maybe you got injured while playing too excitedly with your furbaby. Or maybe a cat or puppy on the streets lashed out in alarm, inadvertently injuring you when you tried to pet it or rescue it.

Whether the animal is an indoor pet or a stray animal, we strongly encourage you to exercise urgency, especially if the pet is still unvaccinated or you are unsure of the animal’s vaccination status.

Wash the wound immediately and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then seek medical attention at the nearest health center or animal bite center. The doctor will prescribe rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, consisting of both rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine, which should be administered within 24 hours of exposure.

We can’t emphasize the urgency enough. Rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms show, but it is preventable if addressed early. In the Philippines, rabies is responsible for 300-400 deaths each year on average, according to the Department of Health. Around 4 million cases of animal bites are recorded annually.

In humans, rabies symptoms, which include fever, headache, fatigue, tingling, or numbness at the bite site, may appear within weeks or months after exposure. As the virus spreads, it causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Advanced symptoms may include difficulty swallowing and breathing, agitation, anxiety, confusion, hydrophobia (fear of water), aerophobia (fear of air), seizures, paralysis, and coma.

Public health reports suggest that rabies persists in the Philippines because of inadequate pet vaccination, a large stray animal population, limited awareness about rabies, delays in seeking treatment, and uneven access to animal bite treatment centers.