Impact of Integrating Rabies Education Into the Curriculum of Public Elementary Schools in Ilocos Norte, Philippines on Rabies Knowledge, and Animal Bite Incidence.

As part of a province wide rabies elimination program, rabies specific information was integrated into the curriculum of all public elementary schools in Ilocos Norte, Philippines using a specifically developed teachers' manual. The rabies educational messages included rabies, animal bite prevention, bite management and responsible pet ownership and were integrated into lessons in several subjects. Four elementary schools were randomly selected and an assessment of the change in student's rabies knowledge and animal bite incidence were conducted.

The evaluation of Animal Bite Treatment Centers in the Philippines from a patient perspective.

Background: The Philippines has built an extensive decentralised network of Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTCs) to help bite victims receive timely rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) at little cost. This study surveyed patients in the community and at ABTCs of three provinces to assess animal bite/scratch incidence, health-seeking behaviour and PEP-related out-of pocket expenses (OOPE).

Methodology And Principal Findings: During community surveys in 90 barangays (neighbourhoods), 53% of households reported at least one animal bite /scratch injury over the past 3 years, similar across urban and rural barangays.

The evaluation of operating Animal Bite Treatment Centers in the Philippines from a health provider perspective.

Background: The Philippine government has an extensive network of 513 Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTCs) to supply rabies post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), reaching over 1 million bite victims in 2016. The network was evaluated using a review of existing national and provincial data, key informant interviews and surveys in sample ABTCs to determine the cost-effectiveness of this network in preventing human rabies deaths.

Methodology And Principal Findings: One urban and one rural ABTC in each of three selected provinces were studied in more detail.

World Rabies Day campaign in the Philippines.

Background: Rabies is a fatal disease, claiming the lives of around 59,000 people annually worldwide. It is considered a neglected and underreported disease leading to inadequate support from governments. Apart from dog vaccination and proper animal bite management, an integral part of a successful rabies control program is community education.

The Ilocos Norte Communities against Rabies Exposure Elimination Project in the Philippines: Epidemiological and Economic Aspects.

As canine rabies control in Africa and Asia transitions from research-led proof-of-concept studies to government-led programs for elimination, experience and evidence of their impact and costs must be shared for the benefit of future programs. The Ilocos Norte Communities against Rabies Exposure project was implemented in April 2012 by the provincial veterinary and health offices and supported by many other partners. It delivered a comprehensive dog vaccination program and increased awareness of the need for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), aiming to eliminate human and animal rabies cases from Ilocos Norte by 2015.

Molecular evidence of Ebola Reston virus infection in Philippine bats.

Background: In 2008-09, evidence of Reston ebolavirus (RESTV) infection was found in domestic pigs and pig workers in the Philippines. With species of bats having been shown to be the cryptic reservoir of filoviruses elsewhere, the Philippine government, in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, assembled a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team to investigate Philippine bats as the possible reservoir of RESTV.

Methods: The team undertook surveillance of bat populations at multiple locations during 2010 using both serology and molecular assays.