Our work:
The concept of ‘One Health’ has been the mainstay in the today’s prevention and control of diseases inflicting humans, animals and the environment. Rabies, a perilous zoonoses, affects all these facets of ‘One Health’. Hence, the Veterinary Circle for 10 incorporates this unified and whole-of-the-system approach in its contribution to rabies elimination efforts in the community in particular, and the country and the rest of the world in general. This was accomplished by the organization through years-long free inclusive veterinary services and widespread awareness and information dissemination campaigns.
School outreach campaigns about disease prevention, animal welfare and
responsible pet ownership: For more than a decade, the VC10 initiated and continuously implemented an extensive educational rabies programs for children of various ages in both public and private elementary and high schools as well as college students in Nueva Ecija. This was done by presenting in the children’s or student’s native language, video screening, question and answer forums and fun rabies-based interactive games and activities focused on understanding the disease, the ways how to avoid or prevent it and the proper measures to be undertaken once they are bitten by an animal, with emphasis on animal welfare and
responsible pet ownership.
Free mass vaccination and other veterinary services for companion animals:
The VC10 has maintained partnerships with local government units to ensure that companion animals in the villages and far-flung areas are able to receive the veterinary care that they are entitled to. This activity has been in place for years. Specifically, the members moved house-to-house during the weekends to deliver free across-the-board services to households consisting not only of vaccination but also deworming and vitamin-mineral supplementation aside from letting these pet owners understand rabies more, care for their animals properly and resolve their misconceptions about the disease and vaccination.
Infographics, electronic posters and IEC materials reproduction, distribution
and online dissemination: To make their advocacy robust and imbued to the public, the VC10 has made their own IEC materials in the form of pamphlets for reproduction and distribution to students and animal
owners. This move is not adequate in our technology-driven world, hence, the organization has extended their reach online through social media accounts by posting informative infographics.
Successes:
1) Veterinary Circle for 10 has formed partnerships with local government units and schools to organize and facilitate inclusive veterinary services particularly vaccination drives and extensive awareness and information dissemination campaigns on rabies.
2) Central Luzon in general and Nueva Ecija in particular have recorded a
number of human rabies cases in the past decade. It is due to this fact that
the VC10's rabies initiatives have contributed to the government's efforts
towards a Rabies-Free Philippines, through vaccination and education.
3) Because of their school-to-school, house-to-house or dormitory-to-dormitory undertakings, vaccination refusal and rabies-related deaths have been avoided by cracking misconceptions which are barriers to prevention, control and elimination of the disease. They have developed their own PowerPoint presentations, pamphlets and infographics based on reliable resources which they have used in the conduct of their activities, updating them as needed. Aside from this, the members of the organization which are future veterinarians are trained of the proper handling of animals and administration of drugs including vaccines prior to the veterinary missions. Likewise, they also underwent rabies education training from their advisers and seniors to ensure that only accurate information will be shared in their talks and seminars.
Impact:
School outreach campaigns about disease prevention, animal welfare and responsible pet ownership: Taking the ‘One Health’ approach with focus on
public health, the VC10 has educated 4,107 children from more than 30
public and private elementary and high schools in Nueva Ecija since 2015
along with other 2,068 individuals in tertiary or collegiate education within
the university premises where the organization is situated.
Free mass vaccination and other veterinary services for companion animals:
The organization has not only vaccinated 4,264 dogs and cats since 2015 but also provided them with other free veterinary services such as deworming and vitamins and minerals supplementation as the organization
envisions rabies-free communities and optimum health for animals and humans alike.
Infographics, electronic posters and IEC materials reproduction, distribution
and online dissemination: Two years since the creation of the Veterinary Circle for 10’s Facebook page with the ever-increasing online usage these days, its rabies infographic materials has reached 5,122 people in the social media. Aside from this, the organization has also reproduced and distributed its own IEC materials to 6,175 individuals.
(content modified from nomination information)