Rabies cases rise but Cebu City faces vaccine shortage

Local

A SEVERE anti-rabies vaccine shortage has left Cebu City defenseless against a rising tide of canine virus transmission.

The city government may need as many as 20,000 additional anti-rabies vaccine vials this year. Local veterinary officials struggle to achieve the minimum vaccination coverage needed to prevent the spread of rabies among dogs.

Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, head of the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF), said the city’s current vaccine supply falls far short of the number required to reach the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) recommended 70 percent herd immunity target for dogs.

In a recent interview with reporters, Maribojoc clarified that the shortage was not caused by stray dogs alone, but by the city’s limited vaccine allocation despite increasing rabies cases last year.

“Na-short siya kay dili maigo para makuha nato ang herd immunity nga 70 percent alang niining tuiga,” Maribojoc said.

She said the DVMF only received 1,400 vaccine vials for this year, but by January, only 900 vials remained because around 500 had already been used in December after the vaccines arrived late.

Under standard vaccination estimates, one vial can vaccinate around 10 dogs.

Using the city’s official 2016 dog population baseline of 166,880, Cebu City would need to vaccinate at least 116,000 dogs to achieve 70 percent coverage. That would require around 11,000 to 12,000 vaccine vials.

The current supply, Maribojoc said, is “far from enough.”

“So ang Cebu City nagka-shortage taliwala sa nagkataas nga rabies concerns. Wala nag-shortage tungod sa stray dogs, kundi naa tay vaccination shortage because nagkataas ang rabies cases last year,” she added.

The city recorded 31 rabies cases last year, which Maribojoc said stressed the urgency of expanding vaccination coverage within the first half of the year.

Under international animal health standards, achieving at least 70 percent vaccination coverage among dogs is considered critical in interrupting rabies transmission.

Maribojoc said the city’s 2016 dog population estimate may no longer reflect the actual number of dogs in Cebu City today.

The 166,880 baseline was established through a large-scale household survey conducted in 2016 by the DVMF in partnership with international animal welfare organizations, including Humane Society International (HSI). The survey used digital tracking applications to create what officials described as the city’s first scientifically established dog population baseline.

However, Maribojoc said newer international guidelines suggest the actual dog population could now be significantly higher.

She cited WOAH guidelines, which allow local governments without updated surveys to estimate dog populations at roughly 25 percent of the human population, or a 4:1 human-to-dog ratio.

The DVMF previously used a more conservative estimate equivalent to only 10 percent of the human population, a formula historically adopted in older Philippine rabies programs.

But with Cebu City’s human population increasing over the years, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data, Maribojoc said applying the 25 percent formula could dramatically raise the estimated number of dogs in the city.

“Kung atong i-compute ang 25 percent sa human population karon, mas dako pa gyud ang iro,” she said.

Because of this, she said Cebu City may realistically need close to 20,000 vaccine vials to fully protect the present dog population.

Moreover, Maribojoc said the city has begun prioritizing barangays with recent rabies-positive cases as part of its vaccination strategy.

“Naa tay strategy sa pagbakuna matag barangay. Unahon gyud nato ang mga barangay nga nag-positive karon nga tuig ug sa miaging tuig,” she said.

The DVMF is implementing an “outside going inward” approach, focusing first on outer barangays before moving toward the city center in an effort to contain transmission.

Despite the urgency, Maribojoc said budget limitations continue to hamper the city’s vaccination efforts.

She said the DVMF’s budget for medicines and biologics this year was only P3.5 million, lower than earlier projections made when she previously served as officer-in-charge of the department.

“Supposedly, kung ing-ana ang sitwasyon, dili gyud angay i-cut off amoang budget,” she said.

Maribojoc added that while a supplemental budget has been proposed, procurement cannot proceed without an approved purchase order.

“Naa siyay supplemental budget, but dili pa ko kapadayon o ka-proceed kung wala pakoy PO karong tuiga,” she said.

The vaccine shortage surfaced during discussions at the Cebu City Council on May 19, over a proposed ordinance seeking to institutionalize responsible pet ownership, humane community pet care, and stray animal management.

The proposed measure, authored by Councilor Paul Labra II, seeks to address concerns over stray animals, rising animal bite incidents, improper disposal of pet waste, and low vaccination rates among pets.

Under the proposal, pet owners would be required to register and microchip their pets for easier identification and monitoring.

The measure also drew mixed reactions from animal welfare advocates, some of whom questioned whether the city has sufficient funding and enforcement capacity to implement existing animal welfare programs effectively.

City councilors, however, stressed that vaccination coverage among both owned and community dogs remains central to preventing rabies transmission in Cebu City.(TGP)