Kidapawan City launches anti-rabies campaign

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 26, 2011) - The local government of Kidapawan City has launched an anti-rabies campaign as part of an aggressive program to control if not eradicate cases of dog bites.

More than 300 cases of dog bites have been reported the past two months in different villages in Kidapawan. Although the City Health Office has a steady and aggressive anti-rabies education program, it continues to encourage dog owners to have their pets vaccinated regularly and keep the animals in cages.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.

The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.