Rabies remains a persistent public health issue in the Philippines, despite the existence of national and local policies and programs aimed at addressing its eradication. The viral disease, which elicits fatality yet is preventable, disproportionately affects rural areas, especially geographically isolated and disadvantaged area due to the junction of socio-cultural and technical challenges. This commentary article explores the myriad of barriers to rabies prevention and control, including poverty, cultural beliefs, limited health literacy, health delivery, and access inequity. However, the implementation of Rabies Act of 2007, which mandates mass vaccination, education, and the establishment of Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTCs), has gaps in the implementation that compromises the program’s sustainability and effectiveness. Deep-rooted cultural practices and beliefs delay or, more so replace evidence-informed medical practices, while geographic isolation and underfunded healthcare facilities hinder optimal provision of care. Moreover, interagency coordination and fragmented reporting surveillance systems further complicate effective rabies control. To address the gaps, this paper advocates for a culturally tailored and community-centered One Health approach that addresses both social and technical aspects of rabies prevention. Important recommendations include decentralizing ABTCs, sustaining vaccination programs with local government support and funding, integrating rabies education into schools and community outreach, and intensifying through multisectoral collaboration both government and nongovernment institutions. Achieving a rabies-free country requires not only biomedical interventions but also a holistic approach – equitable access to healthcare, trust building in communities, and long-term political commitment. In this manner, regardless of location and socioeconomic status, it ensures that this viral disease will be controlled and prevented.

Human ; Philippines ; Social Class ; Rabies ; Virus Diseases ; Mass Vaccination

BACKGROUND

The Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, yet medical laboratories remain an underrecognized component of disaster preparedness and health system resilience. These facilities are essential for disease surveillance, diagnostics, and emergency response, but their operations are frequently disrupted during climate-related disasters and public health emergencies.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This commentary examines the structural, operational, and systemic gaps that limit the integration of medical laboratories into national and local disaster risk reduction and health emergency frameworks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Drawing on global disaster risk reduction frameworks, World Health Organization guidance, regional and international literature, and documented Philippine experiences from infectious disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters, the article highlights how fragmented planning, vulnerable infrastructure, weak digital systems, and communication failures compromise laboratory continuity during crises.

RESULTS

Despite rapid laboratory scale-up during the COVID-19 pandemic, many facilities continued to experience shortages in trained personnel, inconsistent biosafety practices, data loss, and delayed diagnostic services, particularly in disaster-affected and geographically isolated areas.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

To address these gaps, the commentary proposes five strategic action areas: institutionalizing laboratory emergency preparedness at national and local levels, upgrading laboratory infrastructure for climate and hazard resilience, strengthening digital health systems to ensure data continuity, establishing redundant and disaster-resilient communication protocols, and deploying mobile and modular laboratory units to maintain diagnostic services during emergencies. Strengthening medical laboratory resilience is essential to sustaining core health services, reducing disaster-related morbidity and mortality, and advancing equitable, disaster-responsive health systems in the Philippines. Achieving this requires sustained policy commitment, multisectoral collaboration, and integration of laboratory preparedness into broader health security, climate adaptation, and universal health care strategies.

Human ; Philippines