Philippines reports decrease in human rabies in first 2 months of 2025
The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported this weekend a decrease in human rabies cases in the first two weeks of the year.
From January 1 to March 1 this year, 55 rabies cases were recorded nationwide, a 39 percent drop from the 90 logged during the same period last year.
In 2024, DOH said it recorded 426 cases of rabies, with nearly half due to exposure to domestic pets.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa reminded the public that rabies is fatal, with a 100 percent fatality rate last year.
Herbosa said rabies is a viral disease that comes from the saliva of infected animals and spreads through bites, scratches, or other contact (eyes, mouth, nose, and wound) with the saliva of an infected animal.
Symptoms may show two to three months after exposure to rabies. In some cases, symptoms may arise in a few weeks or as long as one year after exposure depending on the amount of virus that entered the individual's body.
Symptoms include fever, weakness, swelling of wound, fear of air and water, confusion, paralysis, and swelling of the brain and spinal cord.
Herbosa urged the public to have their pets vaccinated against rabies and to avoid animals displaying aggressive behavior to avoid mishaps.
In case of bites or scratches, wash the affected area with soap and running water and go to the nearest health center or Animal Bite and Treatment Center, he said.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease that cause 59,000 deaths every year worldwide with 56% of the cases occurring in Asia.
Everything you wanted to know about rabies
Rabies remains a critical issue in the Philippines, where dog-mediated infections are endemic. Despite efforts to control and prevent the disease, the Philippines reports one of the highest incidences of human rabies in Asia. Concerningly, there has been an increase in reported cases in 2022 and 2023 to more than 350 per year, mostly among children below 15 years of age and those who are poor.
From 2020 to 2024, a total of 1,750 patients have died due to rabies in the Philippines.