Boracay, Guimaras rabies-free zones

BORACAY – The islands of Boracay and Guimaras will soon be declared as rabies-free zones in Western Visayas, boosting the islands’ image as outstanding tourist destinations in the region.
Foremost among the considerations of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in making such declaration are the presence of geographical barriers, established monitoring and surveillance system and a low incidence of human and canine rabies for the past years.
DA regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory chief, Dr. Vicente Nim said that the addition to the above considerations, an area in order to qualify as a rabies-free zone must have a regular and prompt disease reporting, no cases recorded in the past two years and no imported rabies case in carnivores outside the quarantine region.
The local government unit that would like to establish a rabies-free zone will have to send a notice to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) stating the said intent.
DA regional director Linda Jindra Demeterio also stressed the need for a strong coordination with local government units (LGUs) with successful rabies program implementation so that their experience can be replicated in areas where there is a high incidence of rabies.
She noted that higher incidence of human and canine rabies can be reduced by sustained vaccination, elimination of stray dogs and massive information campaign about the disease and responsible pet ownership.
LGUs that looked forward to have their locality declared as rabies-free zone must ensure that they have a massive vaccination of dogs and other susceptible animals every three years.

“A dog movement management and quarantine control measures will be imposed to ensure that no infected animals can gain entry into the free zone,” Demeterio pointed out.