by pna
The two-year Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant on dog population control has ended but Cebu City failed to achieve its goal to eliminate rabies in the city this year.
â€We did our best but our best wasn’t good enough,†said Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) chief Dr. Alice Utlang.
Utlang said JICA’s estimated P2-million grant for dog population control through spaying and neutering, which started in 2010, ended last Thursday.
But Utlang said JICA cannot declare Cebu City “rabies-free†because of the 11 rabies cases in the city this year.
The cases were reported in Barangays Apas, Bulacao, Basak Pardo, Sambag 2, Guadalupe, Mabolo, Hipodromo, Paril and Kamputhaw. All of these barangays have one case each, except Bulacao and Sambag 2, which have two cases each.
Utlang said the rabies problem in the city is due to lack of cooperation of pet owners.
â€Some do not care. They refused to have their dogs vaccinated, even if the vaccine is free,†she said.
Utlang said Cebu City is among the four areas in the country that was given a grant by JICA for dog population control.
Other beneficiaries of the program include Marinduque, Camiguin and Catanduanes. Both Marinduque and Camiguin have been declared rabies-free.
Although the grant has ended, Utlang assured JICA that the city government will continue its program to reduce the incidence of rabies in the city.
She said DVMF will implement measures to reduce rabies cases, like issuing citation tickets to pet owners who do not register and have their dogs vaccinated.
DVMF will also conduct house-to-house visits in the barangays to check for unregistered pets.
DVMF has given recognition to 10 barangays which have zero rabies cases in the past five years.
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