In the wake of a tragic incident involving the death of a 13-year-old girl due to a dog bite, an expert highlighted the importance of proper wound care and vigilance against rabies.

Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist Beatriz Quiambao shared key measures during an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo on Thursday, April 25.

Highlighting the necessity of thorough wound cleaning, Quiambao stressed: “Tubig at sabon ang gamiting panlinis at dapat ito ay medyo matagal, actually 10 to 15 minutes para matanggal ang virus na naroon (Use water and soap to clean it, and it should be done for quite a while, actually 10 to 15 minutes to remove the virus present).”

She advised immediate medical attention and application of antiseptic like betadine post-cleaning, followed by consultation at an animal bite center for vaccination.

Quiambao alerted the public to the availability of free anti-rabies vaccines in LGUs (Local Government Units), urging prompt visits in case of dog bites.

Shedding light on the updated injection protocol, she said: “Ang bagong sistema sa pag-injection ay tatlong beses kayong babalik pero bawat balik nyo ay dalawa ang injection, so bale anim (The new system for injection requires you to come back three times but each time you come, you'll receive two injections, so that's a total of six).”

Moreover, Quiambao emphasized comprehensive wound treatment. “Kung maraming sugat dahil sa kagat ng aso, lahat ng sugat ay i-injection-an (If there are many wounds due to dog bites, all wounds will be injected).”

Responding to inquiries regarding dog observation post-bite, she clarified: “Ito ay dahil para malaman ng tao kung ang asong nakakagat ay may rabies o wala. Ang observation period ay 14 days (This is to let people know if the dog that bit has rabies or not. The observation period is 14 days).”

Quiambao also reassured that: “Kung ang aso ay healthy naman during that time, hindi nagkasakit at namatay, ibig sabihin ay wala syang rabies. Ang ibig sabihin ay ‘di rin magkakaroon ng rabies ang nakagat (If the dog remains healthy during that time, doesn't get sick, and doesn't die, it means it doesn't have rabies. It also means that those bitten won't get rabies).”

However, she cautioned that signs like drooling in dogs indicate a higher risk of rabies transmission.

“In fact, kung more than tatlo ang nakagat nito sa isang pagkakataon, ang chance na mayroong rabies ang aso ay tumataas ng 30 percent (In fact, if it bites more than three people at once, the chances of the dog having rabies increase by 30 percent),” Quiambao warned, stressing the need for immediate medical attention and thorough observation following any dog bite incident.