Cotabato Girl Dies of Rabies; Contact Tracing Underway for Villagers

KIDAPAWAN CITY —Rural Health Unit (RHU) workers in Makilala, Cotabato province have begun tracing villagers who attended the burial of a six-year-old girl who died from rabies so they can be vaccinated, a village official said. Melvin Fortajada, a kagawad (councilor) of Barangay Malasila, said that RHU workers are prepared to conduct mass anti-rabies vaccination on those who attended the funeral. Fortajada said the Grade One learner of Malasila Elementary School died on Friday in the hospital, with the physician finding the cause of death to be rabies. READ: Villar pushes stronger anti-rabies policies on Rabies Awareness Month The girl was immediately buried, but some relatives and neighbors joined the burial, which have been the subjects of contact tracing. The parents of the girl were immediately isolated after the burial and under the close monitoring of RHU workers. They had been given anti-rabies vaccines. Fortajada said the rabies victim was able to attend classes on Monday. On Wednesday, she experienced a severe fever and was rushed to the nearby hospital but expired on Friday, July 17. The incident alarmed Barangay Malasila residents because there was no indication that rabid animals bit the girl. The parents of the girl theorized that their daughter might have been infected with the rabies virus after dogs or cats may have licked her open wounds. As this developed, the Malasila Elementary School immediately took action by meeting all their learners and conducting orientation on rabies and its immediate effects on humans. The girl’s classmates were also placed under observation. However, the RHU personnel assessed that they show no symptoms or manifestations of rabies. Rosifel Pongase, the school principal, advised their learners to avoid playing with pets, especially if they have not been injected with an anti-rabies vaccine. The principal also urged the parents to carefully watch their children, particularly those with open wounds, to avoid being licked by rabid animals./coa