Loida Valenzuela: ‘2014 to be rabies free’

Health workers like Loida Valenzuela are striving to get rid of rabies in the Philippines by travelling village to village, to educate children and vaccinate dogs.

Rabies is a virus that causes brain disease and it is 100 percent fatal.

Valenzuela, who is the provincial veterinary officer for Ilocos Norte, and her team are using innovative methods to promote prevention of rabies. These include administering dog surveys, registering local dogs, and providing vaccinations in every village, locally known as barangay.

“We are targeting the year 2014 to be rabies free in Ilocos Norte,” she says. “We also train volunteers to help out in different villages.

“We also do information activities and we are already in the planning stage for the integration of rabies awareness as part of the curriculum among school children.”

Loida Valenzuela is another of many frontline health heroes of Lifelines: The Quest for Global Health.

Lifelines: The Quest for Global Health will air on Al Jazeera in 2014.