"Fighting Rabies with Knowledge"
Fighting Rabies with Knowledge: School-based Information and Education Campaigns for Elementary and High School Students
Written by: DT Cutler and KS Sigue
Within the urbanized streets of Davao City, some dogs carry a lethal viral disease called“rabies.” The virus attacks the host’s nervous system, inducing a strong feeling of anxiety, agitation, a fear of water, and then death. Countries in Asia and Africa are still very susceptible to rabies. Fortunately, rabies can be prevented through human and animal vaccination.
Government institutions like the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program (NRPCP), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Education (DepEd) are combating rabies spread through information and education campaigns (IEC) in schools. In Davao City, the City Veterinarian's Office (Davao CVO) implemented the Intensified Rabies Control Program (IRCP) with the goal of freeing the city of rabies by 2022. However, there is still an increasing trend in the number of cases reported in the city: 12 cases in 2015, 15 in 2016, 21 in 2017, 51 in 2018, and 29 in 2019, with children below the age of 15 being the most likely victims. This can be attributed to their excitability and limited knowledge of dogs and rabies.
One key factor in addressing this issue is improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of children regarding rabies. Davao CVO partnered with various educational institutions to host IEC for rabies. The journal article entitled “School-based Information and Education Campaign (IEC) Program and Knowledge Gain of Student Participants on Rabies in a Private School in Davao City, Philippines” by Zython Paul T. Lachica, Joanna Danielle G. Ang, Pam Danica L. Dy, Cheszka Ysabelle T. Arrieta, Angeline R. Ong, May Anne E. Mata, and Pedro A. Alviola IV published in the Philippine Journal of Science assesses the rabies-related knowledge of 367 elementary and high school students who participated in the IEC by the Davao CVO. To do this, the study provided three (3) different tests: one before the IEC was conducted, one after the IEC is finished, and the final one a month after to see if the information had been retained.
The study found that the students were receptive to the information given as their scores improved after the IEC was conducted. However, it also showed overall lower scores during the retention test as around 58% scored lower a month after the IEC. This shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a negative. It just means that lessons and knowledge on rabies should be reiterated through text messaging and integrating the discussion on rabies prevention in core subjects such as Science and Health, Makabayan (Civics, Social Studies, Geography, and History), Filipino, English, and Mathematics. This study can help the Davao CVO in formulating new tactics for *students to retain their knowledge to achieve rabies-free Davao City in 2022.
Internationalization
College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)
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Conference/Event |
Date and Venue |
| Three students won international study grants: Kriza Faye Calumba (BS Food Technology) to National University of Singapore; Nicole Kathryn M. Go and Gian Paulo R. Paglinawan (both BA Communication Arts) to Chulalongkorn University inThailand. | Singapore, Thailand, 2012 |
| US-based artists, aerial artist Kennedy Kabasares and dancer Miguel C. Braganza II, gave public lectures to students in 20 July and 16 August, respectively | UP Mindanao, 20 July and 16 August 2012 |
| Prof. Maria Araceli Dans-Lee’s illustrated children’s book “Who Am I?”, was given a book launch in Malaysia by Magicbird Publishing on 04 November 2012. | Malaysia, 04 November 2012. |
| The Tripartite Partnership for Peacebuilding Research with Hiroshima University conducted lectures and forums on Peace Research, Indigenous Peoples, the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and Updates on the NDF-GRP Talks. | February, July, August, November 2012, Davao City |
| "UNDERCURRENTS: Imagining a Post-Peace Agreement Period in Mindanao", ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS ON PEACEBUILDING. | 01-02 December 2011, Davao City |
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1st Philippine-Japan Linguistics Conference |
October 20-21, 2006, Davao City |
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RP-Japan Festival 2005 Public Lectures |
February 10, 2005, UP Mindanao, |
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RP-Japan Festival Month |
February 14-15, 2005 UP Mindanao |
School of Management (SOM)
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Conference/Event |
Date and Venue |
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Dean Sylvia Concepcion attended and gave a paper presentation in the international conference, “Value chains for transforming smallholder agriculture” |
Ethiopia, November 2012 |
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SOM hosted an Asian Dev. Bank Forum on “Taking the Right Road to Inclusive Growth” with Dr. Norio Usui and Mr. Neeraj Jain, ADB Country Director |
UP Mindanao, 31 August 2012 |
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SOM faculty and researchers attended and gave presentations in the 4th International Symposium on Supply Chains |
Cebu City, July 2012 |
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Conference on “Improving the Performance of Supply Chains in the Transitional Economies: Responding to the Challenge of Linking Small holder Producers to Dynamic Markets” |
July 9-12, 2008, Davao City |
International Linkage with Universities
UNIVERSITY |
COUNTRY / REGION |
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN |
| Hiroshima University | Japan | To establish a HiPeC-SSN-UP Mindanao Tripartite Partnership in Davao City to allow researchers to cooperate with local research organizations to seek out and establish peace-building studies beginning April 2011 |
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Curtin University of Technology |
Western Australia, Australia |
Linking Farmers: Scoping Study (2005-2006) Linking smallholder vegetable producers in the Philippines to higher value markets (April 2008) |
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University of Massachusetts Amherst |
Amherst, Massachusetts, USA |
The EMC Conservation Collaborative Program: The primary objective of the project is to develop a digital database of land use/ land cover change for the Mt. Apo-EMC Region in collaboration with faculty and staff of UPMIN, with the cooperation of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc.; (September 2004-September 2007) |
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Osaka University |
Japan |
Research Collaboration with the International Center for Biotechnology Prof. Lynn Esther E. Rallos (Feb 26 to March 15, 2006) |
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Nagoya University |
Japan |
Research Collaboration, DNA Sequencing of Vertebrate samples; Dr. Severo T. Bastian (July 23-August 2, 2005; November 1-30, 2005) |
Projects with Foreign Organizations/Donors
College of Humanities and Social Science
Date |
Project |
Details (Organization/Donors) |
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July 2012 |
Received books donation through alumnus Salvador Angala with 405 vols. to CSM Library, 193 vols. to SOM Library, and 222 vols. to CHSS Library. |
Rotary International “Books for the Philippines Project” with Rotary Club of Hillsboro, RC Portland, RC Beaverton, RC Portland Westside, RC East Portland, RC Salem Creekside, RC Forest Grove, and District 5100 Governor Mike Caruso. Also, RC West Davao |
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November 2012 |
Discussions for possible participation |
Embassy of France University Attache Camille Dulor |
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February 2012 |
Accepted the second book donation package |
From alumna Evelina Espina, UPAA Greater Chicago |
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Developing a Health Strategy at the ARMM |
Save the Children |
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November 2006–April 2007 |
Asian Public Intellectual |
Nippon Foundation |
College of Science and Mathematics
Date |
Project |
Details(Organization/Donors) |
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July 2007–June 2011
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Sea Ranching and Restocking of Sandfish in Asia Pacific: Mindanao, Philippines Node |
A Worldfish R&D Project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) |
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2004 - 2005 |
Fermentor-Scale Studies of Direct Lactic Acid Production from Sago Starch |
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) travel grant to Japan |
School of Management
Date |
Project/Research |
Details(Organization/Donors) |
| 2008-2012 | Linking Farmers to Institutional Markets | Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) |
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2005 - 2008 |
Regoverning Markets Programme |
Funded by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), |
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May 2007
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Capacity Building on Policy & Institutional Mapping for Inclusion of Small Scale Producers
Pearl Farm Resort, Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines |
Funded by the Regoverning Markets Programme. Resource persons were Sonja Vermeulen of the IIED and Jim Woodhill of Wageningen University, NETHERLANDS. The participants of the activity came from 8 Asian countries. |
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May 2007
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Policy and Institutional Mapping Workshop
Held at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
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Funded by the Regoverning Markets Programme and International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) Dr. Bill Vorley of the IIED and stakeholders from the private and public sector attended the workshop. |
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June to September 2007 |
Study for Socio-Economic Reconstruction & Development of Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao (SERD-CAAM) |
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
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