Rey Anthony H.
Chiu
BOHOL, June 23 (PIA) --With animal welfare groups barking at its
heels, Bohol blinks in its aggressive campaign against rabies.
But program authorities are sniffing for other ways to get the
campaign snarling again, authorities at the Bohol Rabies Prevention and
Elimination Council (BRPEC) shared.
"There is no turning back," declared Dr Stella Marie
Lapiz, program executive officer and Bohol provincial veterinarian.
Dr. Lapiz has earlier aired her concern over reports that program
implementers in the barangays are threatened by potential cases from animal
rights activists unleashed to stop the elimination of dogs.
BRPEC leaders look into the ongoing massive animal registration
and vaccination as immediate alternative, while pressing for responsible pet
ownership and empowering barangay rabies teams to seriously consider the
paralegal measures to force owners to be responsible for their pets.
"The immediate goal is to get a high vaccination
turn-out," confesses Romulo Garcia, rabies program admin officer and key
motivator at the office of the Provincial Veterinarian.
World Health Organization, the global governing body on the
conduct of global anti-rabies programs said a place should attain over 80%
vaccination of its dog population for 3 consecutive years before the place is
declared rabies-free.
Garcia however said the current vaccination rate has surpassed the
WHO standards of over 80 percent.
Off to a good start with zero rabies cases after ranking high in
national and regional tallies years back, Bohol saunters to a less than average
performance in its rabies program when local officials' attention shifted to
disaster relief and rehabilitation following the triple whammy of disasters and
a major earthquake.
The after effect proved unlucky for Bohol, which had at least
three unconfirmed human rabies cases, according to Bohol human rabies
coordinator at the provincial Health Office, Polizena Rances.
The Bantay Rabies sa Barangay, an institutionalized barangay
rabies watch team faltered in the campaign for fear of facing administrative
and potentially criminal cases for eliminating stray dogs unredeemed by owners
after three days of impound.
A provincial ordinance on the Provincial Rabies Prevention has
been passed in Bohol as a guide for municipal and barangay rabies team on the
implementation of the rabies program.
While the ordinance vows protection, some barangay officials know
too well to keep off suits especially with elections just around the corner,
according to program sources.
Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto aired his alarm over the
potential failure of the program after reaping a Gawad Galing Pook award,
ordered to set aside funds for another batch of province-wide dog vaccination,
during his latest state of the province address.
Leashed now and left baying without the threat of a bite, rabies
council eyes its annual Barangay Livestock Aides (BALA) Congress June 23-25, at
the Jjs Seafoods Village, as a venue to regroup and encourage each other into
another send-off to attain the WHO standard and make Bohol rabies-free.
(mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)