For details send e-mail to:  info@ritm.gov.ph
Attention:   Training & Technology Transfer Committee

A panoramic view of RITM with detailed views of the training facilities are found here [ photo page ].

---

[New] Training Program for the Establishment of an Animal Bite Treatment Center

Rabies is an acute encephalitis with a fatal outcome and no effective cure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies ranks 12th among the major killer diseases with around 10 million people exposed annually.

In the Philippines, rabies continues to be an endemic disease despite the availability of effective and safe vaccines. The incidence of rabies in the country is 6-8 per million population and this one of the highest worldwide.

Rabies is fatal but is preventable by immunization. In the Philippines, about 400,000 people consult for rabies annually and about 75% of these will require post-exposure treatment (PET). For the past 5 years, dog bites have been the number one reason for consultation at the Admitting Section of RITM, a referral center for rabies and rabies exposure. Daily, about 42 new cases are treated and this number constitutes around 75% of all consults.

In 1992, the WHO Expert Committee on Rabies recommended the use of the intradermal regimen of anti-rabies vaccination especially for developing countries where the cost of vaccination is high and the supply of vaccine frequently runs out. This regimen reduces the cost of anti-rabies vaccination without compromising its efficacy.

In 1997, the Dept. of Health adapted the intradermal (ID) regimen of anti-rabies vaccination. The following year, animal bite centers were set up in all provinces and major cities of the Philippines so that effective post-exposure treatment using the ID regimen may become more accessible to bite victims. As a pioneer in the use of the ID regimen in the country, the RITM shares the burden of providing training for the establishment of animal bite centers.

Components of the Training Program. The training program will consist of 3 days, half day for lectures and 2 1/2 days for hand-on training. Trainers experienced in the management of animal bite cases will conduct the training. Lectures will be given on: epidemiology of rabies; clinical manifestations; management; laboratory diagnosis and veterinary aspects of rabies. Hands-on training will give special emphasis on the technique of intradermal administration of rabies vaccine as well as injection of rabies immunoglobulin around the wound and intramuscularly.

Requirements for Training. Institutions desiring to avail of this training should send a letter of request to the RITM Director, Dr. Remigio M. Olveda through the Officer-in-Charge of Clinical Research Division,  Dr. Beatriz P. Quiambao. The sending agency should send a team consisting of at least 1 physician and 1 nurse who are assigned to the Emergency Room or the Facility where anti-rabies treatment will be given. The physicians are required to attend the lectures and half a day of hands-on training; nurses need to complete the 3-day course. A training fee per participant is charged (Physician - Php 1,000 and Nurse - Php 2,500), which covers the cost of training and manuals on animal bite management. A certificate of completion is given at the end of the training program. For training schedule, please coordinate with the Medical Department prior to sending your training request. Contact persons are Ms. Ajhie Almazan or Ms. Nila Morante at 807-2628 to 32, local 801) or e-mail ealmazan@ritm.gov.ph.