ILOILO CITY: Iloilo province logged its first suspected case of rabies this year, a 17-year-old male from the municipality of Pototan, pending the result of the specimen. Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief, Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon, in a media interview on Tuesday, said the patient did not avail of anti-rabies shots, as per initial investigation by health authorities and the Iloilo Provincial Veterinarian's Office. The patient complained of body pain and episodes of difficulty in drinking water on Jan. 1, followed by dry cough and other symptoms in the succeeding days, prompting the folks to bring him to the hospital. 'He was provided (with) initial medication at the IPH (Iloilo Provincial Hospital), but during an examination by medical personnel and further investigation, it was known that he has a history of dog bite in June last year. The medical team considered rabies and they referred the patient to a tertiary hospital in the city,' Quiñon said in dialect. The patient died on Jan. 3, she s aid. The local government unit of Pototan has already administered anti-rabies shots to the close contacts of the patient and conducted dog vaccination in the barangay where the patient came from. Before the death of the patient, he shared that he got bitten by a stray dog but later was found to be owned by an official of their barangay. 'We continue to campaign for responsible pet ownership because we eye the province to be rabies-free by 2026,' Quiñon added. Last year, the province recorded five human rabies cases from the towns of Guimbal, New Lucena and Mina, with one each and two from Carles. Source: Philippines News Agency