TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 15 (PIA) -- Based on the data shared by the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian through Dr. Christopher Jay Tanduyan, at the current cost of getting medical care, a dog bite victim with the wound closer to the brain is pegged at an average of P22,500.

With 17,398 bite cases in Bohol ranging from the serious bite injuries with wounds in close proximity to the central nervous system as well as minor but concerning scratches, the total cost for the medical treatment alone would reach P179,135 at 22,500 per victim’s medical care.

There is still no medicine to counter rabies as the symptoms start to show.

“It is almost always certain that death would follow as the rabies symptoms start to appear,” said Tanduyan.

In Bohol, the Provincial Health Office tracked 6,782 reported dog bite victims in Bohol in the 2021 data.

Some P152,595,000 have been spent both by the government and the bite victims and their families, if only to safeguard the life and keep the virus at bay, before its races to the brain and then the symptoms start manifesting.

For bites that caused minor concerns and still needing medical care, with cost of the rabies vaccine at P2,500, Boholanos have spent another P26,540 for the 10,616 bite victims in this category.  

Speaking to the Association of United Development Information Officers of Bohol, Tanduyan discussed the cost of keeping dogs as pets but not being responsible about them.

Apart from dog bites which can happen when a dog is let off from the master’s effective control, the spate of dog-related vehicular accidents in Bohol has always been a monthly crime highlight.

Beyond that, stray dogs pose sanitation issues, defecating in public areas, foraging in trash cans and scattering garbage for food leading to feral attacks.

On reports of livestock being attacked and the entrails being targets, those are indicators of feral dogs in the vicinity and food is getting scarce that they start feeding on livestock, said Tanduyan.

The bigger concern, however, is dog bites, he stressed.

With the rabies virus getting to the central nervous system, once the symptoms appear, it is always fatal to the dog and the bite victim.

With the disease killing between 300-400 Filipinos every year, the number could potentially spike if the issue is not attended to.

Bohol recorded nine positive rabies cases in 2022 and five cases at the first quarter of 2023.

The province allots P180 million for treatment of bite cases, while dog population vaccination entails less than P10 million, said Tanduyan.

Another smarter option is to engage animal pet lovers to bring their pets out for vaccination and then responsibly putting on leashes and fences in only to keep their dogs under their effective control.

Authorities peg the cost of dog vaccination at P50 per animal.

For 196,872 dogs, this should be P9,843,600, a fraction of the cost for treatment. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)