Manila, March 22 -- Health authorities have asked pet owners in Ilocos Region to vaccinate their animals with anti-rabies to further reduce fatalities, as the region recorded 75,329 animal bites and 20 human rabies victims in 2018.
John Paul Aquino, Rabies Regional Coordinator, made this call even after animal bites cases last year declined by 30 percent from the recorded 108,026 in 2017, placing the region on seventh place in rankings nationwide from fourth place.
Aquino said Pangasinan ranked first nationwide last year.
He said the figure for human rabies, however, ballooned to 20 victims in 2018 compared to 10 victims the previous year.
Region 1 placed seventh in 2017 for human rabies cases, and its rank jumped to number five nationw...