DAVAO CITY, Sept 28 (PIA) Health authorities warned that the best
first aid for dog and other animal bites is cleaning the wound with a running
water and laundry soap.
The call was issued as the country commemorates the World Rabies
Day today.
Dr. Gracita Berguia, medical officer for the Rabies Program of the
Department of Health 11 said after cleaning with wound with soap and water, it
is best to bring the patient to the doctor for consultation.
She said that rabies is very fatal and would attack primarily on
the nervous system.
Berguia said the patient will surely die once the rabies reaches
the brain.
“The rabies can kill but it can be prevented,” she said.
Berguia said once a person is bitten or scratched either by a dog
or cat or any animal, the wound must be washed immediately with soap and water
and consequently, the patient must be checked by a doctor for immediate
vaccination.
She said the rabid virus is carried to the brain through the blood
and not through tissues and muscles.
Dr. Rafael Mercado, assistant director of the Department of
Agriculture for research, regulations and integrated laboratory said clinical
studies show that rabies can manifest even within 20 years depending on the
distance of the wound to the brain.
A total of Twenty Thousand residents have been bitten by animals
in Davao Region on the first six months of 2015, lesser that the total of
number of 33,837 animal bites in 2014. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)
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