A post made on December 9 by a Filipino social media user is raising awareness on rabies. The post has already logged over 10,000 shares circulated on Facebook.
The original poster shared the experience of her mother succumbing to rabies nearly two or three months after she got bit by a stray cat.
“Around month of October or November may stray cat na nakapasok sa bahay and naghanap ng pagkain sa kitchen. Since di sa amin yung pusa, itinaboy nya ang pusa using her left foot kaya sya nakagat [Around the month of October or November, a stray cat entered our home looking for food in our kitchen. Since that wasn’t our cat, my mom made it leave using her left foot, that’s why she got bit],” she narrated.
She emphasized that first aid remedies were made, such as cleaning the wound, but her mother refused to get anti-rabies vaccine shots.
By the month of December, she said on her post that symptoms of rabies started to show and that her mother started having fever, chills, and difficulty swallowing.
“Nagtry uminom ng tubig si mama sa kitchen at dun na siya nagsabi kay papa na dalhin na siya sa hospital kasi di nga siya makalunok. Naconfine siya sa isang hospital here sa amin and nilagyan siya ng NGT at oxygen kasi nahihirapan siyang kumain at huminga. [Mama tried to drink water in the kitchen, and that’s when she told Papa to take her to the hospital because she couldn’t swallow. She was confined in a hospital here in our area, and they put an NGT and oxygen on her because she was having difficulty eating and breathing,]” she stated on her post.
By the next day, her mother experienced sensitivity towards water and air, which are two common and dangerous signs of rabies.
“Binigay sa akin ng nurse yung tinimplang gatas para mapainom ko sa kanya. So, 6PM dapat siyang uminom ng gatas for dinner. Nung nilalapit ko na yung baso sa bibig niya, tinutulak niya ang kamay ko tas parang nanginginig siya. […] Sinabihan nila ako kung sensitive raw ba si mama sa hangin, kaya bumalik ako sa room para paypayan siya and sadly nagreact siya. Kapag natatamaan ng hangin nahihirapan siyang huminga (The nurse gave me the milk for her to consume. So, at around 6PM, she should’ve drank the milk. When I placed the glass near her, she pushed it away and her hands were shaking […] They asked me if mama was sensitive towards the wind, so I came back to the room to fan her and sadly, she reacted. Whenever wind will touch her skin, she’ll have a hard time breathing,)” she said on her post.
Only two days after being confined in the hospital, the OP lost her mother to rabies.
The post was widely shared on social media, urging people to read and get vaccinated if bitten or scratched by animals.
The Department of Health (DOH) recorded a total of 345 rabies cases as of September 14, 2024, a 23% increase compared to the 287 cases reported in the same period last year.
The DOH advocates for the prevention of rabies fatalities by vaccination of both pets and individuals who were exposed to the virus and to seek immediate medical attention after exposure.
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