It is transmitted from infected mammals to man and is fatal once symptoms appear. All warm-blooded mammals, including man, are susceptible to rabies. It is almost always contracted by exposure to a rabid animal. The exposure is usually through a bite, but saliva contact with broken skin is also a possible route. Early symptoms include irritability, headache, fever, and sometimes itching or pain at the site of the exposure. The disease eventually progresses to paralysis, spasms of the throat muscles, convulsions, delirium, and death.

Rabies is a hundred percent fatal viral disease affecting the nervous system and remains a serious public health problem in the country, causing the death of up to five hundred Filipinos annually. When exposed or bitten by an animal, rabid or not, wash and flush the wound thoroughly with soap and water, then seek medical attention for possible post-exposure vaccination and wound care immediately. Consult a veterinarian or trained personnel to observe the animal for 14 days for signs of rabies.

The Department of Health leads the observance of Rabies Awareness Month in March each year. The rabies prevention and control program received a needed boost with the passing of a law which provides for the control and elimination of human and animal rabies. The Department of Health, Bureau of Animal Industry, local government units, and other partner agencies are advocating full implementation of the law nationwide, with the goal of a rabies-free Philippines by 2020.

Preventing the spread of rabies must be a community effort involving both veterinary and public health officials. We can start with more rabies elimination programs focused on mass vaccinations of dogs and cats. The programs should be promoted especially among children living in regions where canine rabies is endemic. If rabies is not eliminated or controlled, expenses related to prevention of the disease in both humans and animals are likely to increase in the country.