There were 157 cases of rabies recorded so far since the start of this year, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The figure is from Jan. 1 to June 25, the DOH said. “Cumulatively, cases this year is five percent lower compared to the reported cases during the same period in 2021 (165),” it noted.

Most cases of rabies were recorded in Central Luzon with 25 cases, followed by Calabarzon with 21, Western Visayas with 17, and Davao Region with 16.

In a separate statement, the DOH said that all 157 cases were “recorded deaths.”

“Rabies has a 100 percent fatality rate, which is why joint actions among the DOH, Department of Agriculture, local governments, and local veterinarians are important to prevent the spread of the virus among animals like dogs and cats who can then infect humans through bites and scratches,” it said.

“In more recent years, there have been a number of rabies cases who remained alive, but these are quite rare,” it added.

Of the total cases, 119 or 76 percent of the cases "were not vaccinated with rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) and/or rabies vaccine," the DOH said.

"Category III is the highest exposure history among reported rabies cases comprising 112 (71 percent) cases," the DOH said.

The DOH defined Category III as "single or multiple transdermal bites or scratches, licks on broken skin, contamination of mucous membrane with saliva, and suspect contacts with bats."

The DOH said 131 or 83 percent of the biting animals among rabies cases were dogs.

"Seventy-seven (49 percent) out of 157 biting animals of the reported cases were domesticated. Of these, 53 (69 percent) were unvaccinated for rabies," the DOH said.