CAGAYAN de Oro City — Northern Mindanao recorded five human deaths from rabies in the first eight months of 2026, showing that the region still has lives to protect as the government works toward zero rabies deaths by 2030. 

The figure is lower than the 11 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025, but health authorities say continued cases underscore the need for faster treatment, wider animal vaccination and sustained public education. 

Dr. Abel Santini G. Permites, an RITM-DOH certified trainer on rabies and animal bite management, said preventing deaths depends largely on what happens before symptoms appear. 

“Once a person is symptomatic, it is basically 100 percent fatal,” Permites said. 

The World Health Organization likewise says rabies is fatal once clinical symptoms develop, but deaths can be prevented through prompt post-exposure treatment. 

What must happen 

For the region to reach zero human deaths, Permites said communities and local governments must keep up three critical measures: vaccinate dogs and cats, make bite treatment accessible, and educate residents on what to do after exposure. 

More than 90% of human rabies cases in the Philippines are attributed to dog bites, he said.

Permites said studies indicate that vaccinating at least 70% of dogs and cats in communities where rabies is endemic can help prevent transmission. 

The responsibility, he added, extends from pet owners to local governments, which need to sustain animal vaccination programs, including efforts covering stray animals. 

WHO identifies mass dog vaccination, access to post-exposure prophylaxis, surveillance and community awareness as key parts of preventing human rabies deaths. 

After a bite 

For people bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal, the first response should not be to wait and see.

Permites advised immediately washing the wound with soap and running water for about 15 minutes before seeking medical assessment at an Animal Bite Treatment Center or Animal Bite Clinic. 

WHO recommends thorough washing and flushing of possible exposure wounds with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, followed by appropriate post-exposure treatment. 

Exposure is assessed according to its severity. 

Category 1 involves contact with an animal or licking of intact skin and generally does not require post-exposure prophylaxis. 

Category 2 includes minor scratches or abrasions without bleeding and requires rabies vaccination. 

Category 3 includes bites or scratches that penetrate the skin, saliva exposure to broken skin or mucous membranes, and certain bat exposures. These require immediate vaccination and may require rabies immunoglobulin, depending on the assessment. 

“On that day, you should go to the hospital or Animal Bite Clinics,” Permites said. 

Services must remain accessible 

The Northern Mindanao Medical Center Animal Bite Treatment Clinic provides rabies vaccination, immunoglobulin for qualified severe exposures, pre-exposure prophylaxis, medical assessment, and referrals to other animal bite treatment facilities.

 

The clinic operates Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

For the region's zero-death target to become reality, the prevention chain has to work at every level—from vaccinated pets and informed families to accessible bite treatment and sustained local government programs. 

Five deaths in eight months mean the target remains unfinished. The task now is to ensure that every bite victim knows where to go, every pet owner understands the need to vaccinate, and every community keeps rabies prevention active—not only during World Rabies Day. (With a report from Jan Albert K. Araña of PIA-!0)