Philippine Journal of Science

145 (2): 189-196, June 2016

ISSN 0031 - 7683
Date Received: ?? Feb 20??

Influence of Traditional Medicine (Tandok and Tawak)

on Marinduquenos’ Knowledge, Attitudes
and Practices on Handling Animal Bites

Benjamin O. Sosa III

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila,

Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines

Tandok (removal of venom, rabies and tetanus from a wound by using an animal horn) and
Tawak (direct suction by the mouth of a traditional practitioner) are the most prevalent non-
medical alternatives in Marinduque that deal with wounds caused by animal bites. In every
ten (10) people bitten, six (6) would opt for non-medical alternatives rather than consulting a
medical facility for vaccines. The cultures of Tandok and Tawak greatly affect the knowledge,
attitudes and practices (KAP) of the people on how to properly handle animal bites. Thus, this
cross-sectional study aimed to determine the extent of influence these cultures have on the
people’s KAP. Also, this study aimed to correlate the people’s theoretical awareness on handling
animal bites to actual practice using a two-tailed t-test. Lastly, the study determined the main
reasons why people still patronage these traditional healers. A total of 420 respondents (three
persons per village) from 140 randomly selected villages were interviewed. The respondents
were chosen through simple random sampling with replacement. Results showed that people in
municipalities with well-known traditional practitioners (mananandok or mananawak) prefer
their services than that of medical facilities. Further, theoretical knowledge of handling animal
bites does not translate to actual practice. Finally, the main reasons why people still patronage
Tandok or Tawak are (1) expensive cost of vaccines (2) belief of the people that tandok and
tawak have the same efficacy and (3) the distance of the hospital.

Keywords: animal bites, rabies, tandok, tawak, traditional medicine

INTRODUCTION exaggerated sensation on the bite site, muscle spasms, muscle

Rabies is viral disease that is caused by bites from rabid
animals affected by it (Yousaf et al. 2010). The rabies virus
can also be transmitted when the saliva of affected animals
come in contact with the openings on the skin of other
animals and humans. The animals that are usual carriers
of this virus are: dogs, cats, raccoons, bats, and monkeys
(Yousaf et al. 2010). This virus causes severe encephalitis that
results in mortality in its victims (World Health Organization
2005). In addition, the usual symptoms that accompany
rabies infection are the following: drooling, convulsions,
*Corresponding author: haversian_canal.lacuna@yahoo.com
tingles, restlessness, difficulty in swallowing, hydrophobia
and aerophobia (Yousaf et al. 2010).
It has been estimated that there are 55,000 human deaths
annually due to rabies, with most deaths coming from Asia
and Africa (Knobel et al. 2005). The Philippines has higher
incidence of rabies cases than neighboring countries like
Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia with at least 300-400
deaths annually (Department of Health 2015; Global
Infectious Epidemiology Network Informatics 2010).
Despite being a recurring public health threat in the
country, the Department of Health recently announced

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Vol. 145 No. 2, June 2016
provinces that are rabies-free which includes the province
of Marinduque (Department of Health 2015).
However, even with this milestone, there are still cases
of Marinduquenos seeking non-medical alternatives in
dealing with animal bites, such as Tandok and Tawak.
Tandok is the act of removing the venom, rabies or
tetanus from a wound by using a suction apparatus
like goat or carabao horns. On the other hand, tawak is
the removal of venom, rabies or tetanus from a wound
through direct suction of the mouth of a traditional
practitioner (mananawak). Thus, this study aimed to
know the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP)
of Marinduquenos, as well as to describe the extent
of influence of the Tandok and Tawak cultures on the
peoples’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on handling
animal bites. Furthermore, the study correlated the
people’s awareness of handling animal bites to actual
practice. Finally, this study determined the factors that
may be affecting the peoples’ choice of intervention in
dealing with animal bites in the community.
METHODOLOGY
Data collection
The primary method of data collection used in this study
was survey administration. Survey forms, attached with an
informed consent written in Filipino, were administered to
the respondents of each village that were chosen through
simple random sampling with replacement. Simple
random sampling with replacement was used in order to
give equal opportunity to every village in Marinduque and
every inhabitant of the chosen village to be included in the
study. The respondents of this study were 18 years old and
above. A pretest was conducted on a randomly selected
village to come up with the contents of the survey form.
Determining the sample size of the respondents
The sample size for the number of people to be surveyed
was obtained using the formulas below:
z2 (p) (1-p)
SS = c2 (1)
Where:
SS= sample size
Z= Given z value (1.96 for 95% confidence level)
P= percentage of picking a choice (0.5)
C= 0.05 (margin of error)
SS
new SS = (SS−1) (2)
1+ pop
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Sosa III B: Attitudes and Practices on
Handling Animal Bites
Where: new SS= new sample size of the finite opulation
SS= sample size
Pop= population of Marinduque which is 227, 8286
The obtained sample size was 383 respondents using the
first formula. In this study, the number of individuals was
expanded to 420 individuals with three (3) respondents
from each of the 140 villages randomly chosen for
this study. The three respondents were chosen from
the village’s census through a pre-determined random
numbers generated using Microsoft Excel program. From
the 420 respondents from different households, 417 (99%)
submitted their survey forms.
Determining the sample size of barangays for
interview
Formulas 1 and 2 were used in order to obtain the number
of villages to be selected for the study. There are 218
barangays in Marinduque and the calculated sample size
for the villages was 140. Table 1 shows the villages that
were randomly chosen.
Table 1 shows there were 39 villages in Boac, 16 in Gasan,
19 in Torrijos, 22 in Mogpog, 10 in Buenavista and 34 in
Sta.Cruz that were chosen to complete the 140- village
target for the study.
Test for correlation between Awareness of the People
to the Actual Practice
A simple two-tailed T-test was used in order to establish
the correlation between the Marinduquenos’ awareness
on handling animal bites and their actual practice of
their knowledge in handling animal bites. This was done
by comparing the mean awareness scores (percentage
0-100) of people who have already been bitten and those
respondents that have not. The awareness mean score
quantified the knowledge, the right attitudes for seeking
medical attention during an animal bite and the correct
practices of bite handling of a respondent by answering
a questionnaire. The mean awareness scores obtained
by each municipality of Marinduque were also reported.
RESULTS
General information on Marinduque’s household
pet ownership
Of the 417 households surveyed in this study, 348 (84%)
have household pets; while the other 68 (16%) do not.
Therefore, eight (8) in ten (10) households in Marinduque
have pets. Of the 348 households with pets, 157 (45%)
had their pets vaccinated against rabies for the past year
while 191 (55%) were unable to do so. Most households
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Vol. 145 No. 2, June 2016 Handling Animal Bites

Table 1. Barangays randomly chosen for survey.

Boac Gasan Buenavista Torrijos Sta.Cruz Mogpog
Amoingon Bachao Ibaba Barangay I Banocboc Alobo Anapog-Sibucao
Apitong Bacong-bacong Barangay III Bayakbakin Angas Banto
Balaring Bahi Barangay IV Buangan Aturan Bintakay
Balimbing Bangbang Caigangan Cabuyo Bagong Silang Butansapa
Balogo Bognuyan Daykitin Cagpo Baguidbiran Candahon
Bamban Cabugao Libas Dampulan Baliis Capayang
Bangbangalon Dawis Lipata Kay Duke Balogo Dulong Bayan
Bantad Dili Malbog Mabuhay Banahaw Gitnang Bayan
Bantay Libtangin Sihi Malibago Biga Ino
Balagasan Mahunig Yook Malinao Buyabod Janagdong
Boton Mangiliol Maranlig Dating bayan Lamesa
Buliasnin Masiga Marlangga Dolores Laon
Bunganay Matandang Gasan Makawayan Haguimit Malusak
Caganhao Pangi Matuyatuya Hinadharan Magapua
Catubugan Pinggan Payanas Hupi Mangyan Mababad
Cawit Tapuyan Poctoy Ipil Market Site
Daig Poblacion Kamadugan Nangka I
Daypay Suha Kasily Nangka II
Duyay Tigwi Lamesa Pili
Ihatub Landy Sumangga
Isok II Lapu-lapu Tarug
Laylay Lipa Villa Mendez
Lupac Lusok
Mahinhin Manlibunan
Malbog Matalaba
Mainit Morales
Mataas na Bayan Napo
Mercado Pag-asa
Murallon Pantayin
Pawa Punong
Pili Tagum
Poras Tamayo
Puyog Tawiran
Santol Taytay
Sawi
Tabigue
Tanza
Tugos
Tumapon

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have dogs and cats as pets. There are a minimum of 507
pet dogs and 336 pet cats. In addition, other household
pets include pigs (49), mice (11), monkeys (6), rabbits
(5), guinea pigs (5) and hamsters (4).
Animals that caused bites in Marinduque
Based from the surveys, 272 (65%) of the 417 respondents
were already bitten by an animal. Majority of animal bites
in Marinduque were caused by dogs. In every ten (10)
Marinduquenos that experienced animal bites, eight (8)
were caused by dogs and two (2) were caused by cats.
Snake bites constituted three (3) percent of the bites noted
in the survey. The other three (3) percent were caused by
monkeys, rats, mice and bats.
Marinduquenos’ Knowledge on Handling Animal
Bites
The over-all awareness score, constituted with the correct
knowledge, health-seeking preferences and practices, of
the 417 respondents surveyed was 61.91%. This over-
all score was consisted of the total awareness scores of
bitten and unbitten respondents. The 272 respondents that
experienced animal bites had an average of 60.72% while
64.11% was the average for the 145 respondents yet to be
bitten by animals.
The mean awareness scores of the bitten and unbitten
respondents were compared using a two-tailed t-test
to determine if there is a significant difference in the
knowledge, attitudes and practices between the two
groups. Table 2 shows the result of the two-tailed t-test
on the awareness scores of the two groups.
Table 2. Two-tailed T-Test results for bitten and unbitten respondents
  Bitten Unbitten
Mean 60.73125 64.11531
Variance 155.9847 157.4122
Observations 272 145
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
df 293
t Stat -2.62727
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.00906
t Critical two-tail 1.968093  
Since the t stat, -2.62727, is less than the negative of the
t Critical two-tail, -1.968093, there exists a significant
difference on the knowledge, attitudes and practices
between the groups of people who have been bitten and
people who have never been bitten.
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Handling Animal Bites
Over-all Attitudes of Marinduquenos in handling
animal bites
Survey results showed that 50% of Marinduquenos
said that they will seek or had sought a mananandok/
mananawak to cure their animal bites. The other 50%
will seek or had sought the services of a medical facility
to attend to their animal bite wounds and receive anti-
rabies or anti-tetanus vaccines. Further, there were 18
respondents that only cleaned their wounds and did not
avail of the services of a mananandok/ mananawak or a
medical facility.
Attitudes of Marinduquenos that experienced
animal bites
Based on the results of the study, six (6) in ten (10)
Marinduquenos preferred to go to a traditional practitioner
after experiencing an animal bite.
From the individuals that went to a mananandok/
mananawak, only 63 (38%) went to a medical facility
to obtain anti-rabies vaccines. Ergo, in ten (10)
Marinduquenos already bitten by an animal and went to
a tandok/ tawak, only four (4) went to a medical facility
for a second opinion.
On the other hand, 90 (33%) of the 272 respondents bitten
by an animal sought for a medical facility to get anti-rabies
vaccinations. Table 3 lists the medical facilities that the
bite victims visited.
Table 3. Type of medical facility where people obtain anti-rabies
vaccination.
Medical facility Respondents %
Nearest health center 45 50
Provincial hospital 29 32
Animal bite center 13 14
San Lazaro Hospital 2 2
Lucena hospital 1 1
Additionally, only 17 (6%) of the 272 respondents that
experienced animal bites did not seek any professional or
non-medical help; instead, they just cleaned their wounds.
Attitudes of Marinduquenos that have not yet
experienced animal bites
There were 145 respondents that have not yet experienced
animal bites in this study. These respondents completed
the questionnaire with the theoretical answers that they
would do if bitten by an animal. The survey revealed that
103 (71%) of the respondents would choose to go to a
medical facility for anti-rabies, anti-venom or anti-tetanus
vaccine. In contrast, 41 (28%) would still choose to seek
the help of a mananandok/mananawak if bitten while,
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Vol. 145 No. 2, June 2016 Handling Animal Bites

only one (1) would just clean the wound and would not Table 6. Over-all Practices of Marinquenos in handling animal bites.
seek any professional or non-medical help.
Common Practices Percentage (%)
Washing with lukewarm water 94
Health seeking preferences of respondents from each and soap
municipality Inducing blood out of the wound 76
Tables 4 and 5 show the health-seeking preferences of
Applying garlic (A. sativum) on 43
the respondents in the six (6) municipalities surveyed. infected area
Table 4 focuses on those respondents that were already
Covering with gauze 40
bitten while Table 5 emphasizes on the respondents who
have not. Applying povidone iodine 29
Slicing of the wound with blade to 22
Table 4. Attitudes of respondents already bitten by an animal in each make wound bleed more
municipality. Rinsing with vinegar 11
Municipality Tandok/Tawak Medical Wound cleaning Applying pressure on the wound 10
facility only to stop bleeding
Boac 57 15 5 Applying plant concoction on the 6
bitten area
Buenavista 15 4 1
Gasan 27 5 2
Mogpog 22 17 2 On the other hand, Marinduquenos also adhere to some
Sta.Cruz 22 39 4 misconceptions in dealing with an animal bite. The
Torrijos 22 10 3 most prevalent misconception Marinduquenos practice
Total 165 90 17
is the application of unnecessary pressure on the bite
wound to bleed more (76%). Another malpractice by
Marinduquenos is the use of garlic (Allium sativum) to
For Table 5, the respondents answered the questions in clean the wounded area. Marinduquenos also practice the
the survey with the premise of being bitten by an animal use of a sharp blade to open up the wound further so as to
in the future. facilitate better bleeding (22%) in the hope of removing
the rabies virus, venom or tetanus bacteria from it.
Table 5. Attitudes of respondents not yet bitten by an animal in each
municipality.
Municipality Tandok/Tawak Medical Wound
facility cleaning only DISCUSSION
Boac 13 26 0
Buenavista 6 4 0
Difference in the KAP between bitten and unbitten
respondents
Gasan 8 6 0
There exists a significant difference between the
Mogpog 4 21 0 knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the bitten
Sta.Cruz 3 31 1 and unbitten respondents as proven by the two-tailed t-test
Torrijos 7 15 0 performed in Table 2. Therefore, the knowledge, attitudes
and practices (KAP) of those respondents not yet bitten by
Total 41 103 1
an animal does not translate to actual practice when bitten.
This shows that there is a high probability that when a
Over-all Practices of Marinduquenos on handling Marinduqueno is bitten by an animal, the right practice
animal bites that should be undertaken in the correct handling of
The most common practice in handling animal bites bites will be disregarded. In addition, even though an
among Marinduquenos is washing the wound using soap individual is equipped with the right knowledge, attitudes
and lukewarm water (Table 6). After cleaning the wound, and practices (KAP) in handling animal bites, it does not
povidone iodine is applied and then covered with gauze necessarily mean that these are going to be translated
to protect it from dirt. Marinduquenos also utilize vinegar into practice.
to clean the wound as a substitute anti-septic if povidone
iodine is not available. There are two possible hypotheses to explain this
phenomenon. The first hypothesis dwells on the concept
of social pressure. Whenever an individual is bitten by

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an animal, panic cause the individual to be disoriented
(Ahmad et al. 2012). The disorientation disables the
individual to think properly (Ahmad et al. 2012) on how
to handle the bite wound properly. When this occurs, the
pressure to follow the attitudes and practices prevalent in
society takes over. Thus, the individual quickly adapts to
the traditional norm of dealing with animal bites.
In the case of Marinduque, the most prevalent ways in
handling animal bites are the following: promotion of
profuse bleeding by adding pressure on the wound; use
of garlic (A. sativum ) to rub against the wound; and the
patronage of the services of a mananandok/ mananawak.
These prevalent attitudes on health seeking preference
and practices may actually aggravate the wound and the
condition of the bite victim.
The second hypothesis emphasizes the premise that these
prevalent attitudes and practices are tried and tested because
it has been followed by many people for a long time. The
‘majority wins’ mentality aggravates the resistance of the
people in the society to gain new and updated knowledge
on how to deal with animal bites. This results in the
perpetuation of the malpractice to the next generation.
Influence of the Tandok/Tawak cultures on the
attitudes of Marinduquenos in handling animal bites
The preference to go to a mananandok or mananawak is
still a prevalent attitude among Marinduquenos. One of
the reasons why Marinduquenos still patronize the culture
of Tandok and Tawak is due to the expensive cost of
obtaining anti-rabies vaccines. In addition, people bitten
by snakes prefer going to a mananandok or a mananawak
because of two reasons (1) there is shortage of anti-
venom sera in the province and (2) the patient has to be
transported across the sea to Lucena City, Quezon due to
the unavailability of anti-serum for snake bites in the local
hospitals. Another reason would be that Marinduquenos
believe that tandok and tawak methods are as effective as
the anti-rabies, anti-venom and anti-tetanus vaccines. This
belief among Marinduquenos poses a serious threat to their
health and the health of the mananawak or mananandok.
Not all dogs, cats, monkeys or bats have rabies. Thus,
those people that were bitten by these animals and said to
have been cured by tandok or tawak methods may actually
had been bitten by animals that were not infected by
rabies. In the case of snake bites, venomous snakes usually
deliver a ‘dry bite’ 50% of the time (Ahmed et al. 2008).
Dry bites are venom-less strikes from venomous snakes
(Nadeem et al. 2008). Venomous snakes would not waste
their venom on humans, unless provoked (Choudhary et
al. 2008). They would mostly use it for procuring food
(Ahmed et al. 2008). This could be one of the reasons
why people that went to a mananandok or a mananawak
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Sosa III B: Attitudes and Practices on
Handling Animal Bites
claim to have been healed by these traditional healers. In
addition, people that seek traditional methods of snake
bite healing might just have been bitten by non-venomous
snakes. Assuming the bite was inflicted by a venomous
snake, the individual may have been able to survive due
to the sub-lethal dose of venom released by the snake on
its human victim (Pal et al. 2008).
The mananandok and mananawak are also at risk of being
intoxicated if they have broken teeth to which the venom
may seep in as they suck the blood from the snake bite.
The transferred venom may cause paralysis, necrosis of the
surrounding tissue of the tooth or even death depending on
the type of venomous snake that caused the bite (Ahmed
et al. 2008).
The third reason why Marinduquenos still seek non-
medical alternatives is because of the distance from their
community. Most of the respondents find it difficult to
reach the hospital because of its distance. Thus, instead of
travelling far, they opt to seek the help of a mananandok
or mananawak who is more accessible to them.
The presence of a mananandok or a mananawak in
a municipality greatly influences the health-seeking
attitudes of its residents. The municipalities of Boac,
Buenavista, Gasan and Torrijos have well-known
mananandok or mananawak. Consequently, these towns
have high proportion of people seeking the service of these
traditional healers because of their proximity and easy
accessibility. Most of the respondents, after undergoing
tandok and tawak methods, would not care visit a medical
facility for a second opinion on their bites, contented with
the treatment they received from these traditional healers.
On the other hand, the respondents of the municipalities of
Sta. Cruz and Mogpog have better health seeking attitudes
because, majority of their respondents, both bitten and
unbitten, would opt to seek help from a medical facility
than going to a mananandok or a mananawak. This could
be attributed to two factors (1) there were no well-known
mananandok or mananawak in these municipalities and
(2) information about rabies and animal bites were well-
disseminated in these areas.
Common misconceptions in Marinduquenos’
practices of handling animal bites
The most common misconception in the practices of
Marinduquenos in dealing with animal bites would be the
application of too much pressure on the wound to make
it bleed profusely. The survey revealed that 75% of the
respondents did and will do this practice when bitten by
an animal. They do this because people believe that the
virus would be extracted and would prevent further tissue
degradation around the wound (De Ramos & Bravo 2008).
Applying too much pressure on the wound may aggravate
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 145 No. 2, June 2016
it by making it bigger. Also, applying too much pressure
propels the rabies (if present) faster up to the brain (De
Guzman 2014).
Another misconception among Marinduquenos is the use
of garlic (A. sativum) to rub the surface of the bite wound.
Rubbing the wound with garlic (A. sativum) may burn the
skin surrounding the wound, causing irritation and potentially
increasing the chance of tetanus infection (Sheetal et al.
2010). The people also believe in making a small incision on
the wound using a blade for it to bleed more. This practice is
adopted from the mananandok who makes a small incision
on or near the wound, especially if the wound has already
healed, to create an access where they would be able to
suck the rabies, toxin or pathogenic organisms. Of the 417
respondents in the study, 43% practice the use of garlic (A.
sativum) while 22% practice the use of a small blade to make
a small incision for better bleeding of the wound.
Provincial Government Efforts on Rabies
There are three main programs by which the provincial
government of Marinduque, especially through the
Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and the
Veterinary Office of Marinduque, control rabies cases. The
first major program is the annual anti-rabies vaccination of
warm-blooded pets such as dogs and cats. The province also
implements a castration program in order to control the dog
and cat population in the community. The third main program
is the monitoring of the number of pets per household.
This survey showed a small discrepancy between the
numbers of households which had their pets vaccinated
(45%) as opposed to those that have not (55%). Since there
is an annual anti-rabies vaccination, the pet dogs and cats
that were not vaccinated may have been newly acquired
after the period of vaccination. Also, the castration of
dogs and cats in the community is a commendable effort
from the provincial government because, it effectively
decreases the fertility of the pets in the community thus
lowering the chances of increase in their population even
if these animals are on the streets. The monitoring of pets
in each house hold also keeps track on the newly-acquired
pets after the vaccination.
In 2010, the province carried out a shoot-to-kill program
to eliminate stray dogs in the streets of Marinduque. This
program was successful in decreasing the number of stray
dogs on the streets for a short time however, this program
became controversial due to the protests of some animal
rights advocates.
Ways to improve the KAP of Marinduquenos on
handling animal bites
In general, Marinduquenos’ knowledge on how to
handle animal bites is relatively high with an over-all
Sosa III B: Attitudes and Practices on
Handling Animal Bites
percentage of almost 61%. The only problem is that this
knowledge are usually not translated to practice as they
revert back to what the society dictates as the ‘right’ ways
of handling bites. Therefore, in order to reinforce these
knowledge and improve animal bite practices, a rigorous
province-wide information dissemination should be done
to augment the Marinduquenos’ knowledge on the proper
and scientifically-accepted ways of handling animal bites.
Information drives should also be done village to village
and should include seminars and talks from people trained
to handle animal bites. It is not enough to have tarpaulins
or brochures containing information on handling animal
bites posted on bulletins in each barangay because more
often, people would just ignore these advisories. It would
be better if these advisories would be explained in a village
assembly. Further, the information drive should focus on
how to handle snake bites because most of the respondents
in the study don’t know how to handle them properly.
Tandok and tawak methods have long been part of
Marinduque’s culture and will continue to be part of it
despite their decline in other regions. In order to improve
the health-seeking attitudes of Marinduquenos, increased
subsidy should be given to the people, especially those who
are deemed indigent, who will be bitten by warm-blooded
animals such as dogs and cats. The indigent patients are the
usual patients of the mananandok and mananawak thus, (1)
they are more prone to the irreversible effects of rabies if
bitten by an infected animal and (2) they should be given
priority for the anti-rabies vaccination subsidy. Furthermore,
snake bite victims in this study said that they opt to go to a
mananawak or mananandok because anti-venom serum is
usually unavailable in the provincial hospital.
To ensure that the number of pets such as dogs and cats
without vaccines remain in acceptable numbers, the
veterinary office must enforce strict monitoring of the
newly acquired pets in each household. This can be done
in partnership if the barangay health and agriculture units.
This strict monitoring will also facilitate the frequency by
which castration should be done to newly acquired pets
with the consent of their owner.
CONCLUSION
Marinduquenos’ over-all awareness score is relatively
high at 61%. However, even though the group of unbitten
respondents have the right KAP on how to handle animal
bites, these do not translate to practice as proven by the
two-tailed t-test results.
The cultures of Tandok and Tawak greatly influence the
attitudes and practices of people in the municipalties Boac,
Buenavista, Gasan and Torrijos, that have well-known
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mananandok and mananawak. In these municipalities,
the number of respondents that sought the services of
these traditional healers was greater than those people
that sought medical help.
The people in these municipalities also adopted the
practice of mananandok of creating a small incision on the
wound or near the wound for better bleeding of it. Further,
the top three reasons why Marinduquenos still sought for
the services of these traditional healers were the following:
(1) anti-rabies vaccines are too costly (2) tandok and
tawak methods are perceived to be as effective as the
anti-rabies or anti-venom vaccines and (3) the provincial
hospital is too far from their location. Finally, in order to
improve the KAP in the province the following should be
done: (1) rigorous information drive on the proper ways
of handling animal bites (2) subsidy on indigent patients
seeking anti-rabies vaccination (3) strict monitoring of
newly acquired pets in the community and (4) increased
frequency of castration of pets in the community.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This study focused on the adult population of Marinduque
aged 18 years old and above. The respondents should have
been identified into more specific age range. Given more
time, the study should also include the lower age bracket
of less than 18 years old in order to have a more complete
picture of the distribution of animal bites per age group.
By doing this, the age range most susceptible to animal
bites would be identified.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researcher would like to thank Michaela Francesca
Therese L. Araneta for the help she extended in
formulating the study. The researcher would also like
to thank Professor Cynthia Cordero, Dr. Isidro Sia and
Ferdinand Sta. Ana for their insights on the study design
and statistics used in this study. The researcher would also
like show his appreciation to Dr. Winston Dela Cruz for
his guidance during the immersion. Further, the researcher
would also like to thank Ma. Josefina O. Sosa for funding
the research. Finally, the researcher wants to extend his
sincerest thanks to all the Barangay Health Workers and
Barangay Nutrition Scholars from the 140 villages of
Marinduque that helped and made this research possible.
196
Sosa III B: Attitudes and Practices on
Handling Animal Bites
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