Manila, March 16 -- The Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday that 55 rabies cases were recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to March 1 this year, a 39 percent drop from the 90 logged during the same period last year.

Despite the lower case count, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa reminded the public that rabies is fatal, with a 100 percent fatality rate last year.

The DOH said it recorded 426 cases of rabies in 2024, 193 or 45 percent of which were caused by the saliva of domestic pets.

The DOH also said 41 percent of the cases in 2024 involved domestic pets unvaccinated against rabies, while 56 percent involved animals with undetermined vaccine status.

Among the regions with the highest rabies tally last year were Central Luzon with...