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Respiratory disease is one of the major causes of losses to the pig industry worldwide. The pig subsector is the largest component of the livestock sector in the Philippines. Using lung scoring, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of thoracic lesions in slaughter-age pigs in two provinces in the Philippines (Batangas and Albay) and define classes for respiratory health of pigs characterised by different patterns of thoracic lesions. A total of 260 pigs from Batangas and 300 pigs from Albay from either commercial or backyard farm types were included in this cross-sectional study. Lungs were scored for cranio-ventral pneumonia (0-55) and pleurisy (0-3). Presence or absence of pericarditis as well as focal dorso-caudal pneumonia were recorded. Latent class analyses considering four indicator variables, and province and farm type as covariates were used to explore different patterns of thoracic lesions across the study populations. Using a threshold of ≥7, the prevalence of a high lung score was 51.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 42.3-61.4%) and 13.7% (95% CI: 8.1-22.2%) in Batangas and Albay, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence of a pleurisy score of ≥1 was 56.9% (95% CI: 37.5-74.4%) and 5.0% (95% CI: 2.9-8.4%), pericarditis 24.6% (95%CI: 10.1-48.6%) and 1.7% (95%CI: 0.3-6.7%) and focal dorso-caudal pneumonia lesions 7.7% (95% CI: 3.7-15.5%) and 0% (97.5% one-sided CI: 0-1.2%), respectively. Latent class analyses identified four classes based on lung score, pleurisy score and the presence/absence of pericarditis: "healthy", "mild respiratory disease", "moderate pneumonia", and "multi-lesion". The relative frequency of these classes differed with province and farm type. Most pigs from Albay were "healthy", whereas in Batangas most pigs from commercial farms were "multi-lesion" and those from backyard farms were in the "mild respiratory disease" class. This study has provided baseline data on thoracic lesions in slaughter-age pigs for the provinces of Batangas and Albay in the Philippines. Targeting farms and areas where "multi-lesion pigs" are most common and further research to identify risk factors for particular classes should maximize impact of future control measures. The latent class analysis approach used could be applied more widely and could add value to analysis of multi-morbidity data collected routinely as part of ongoing monitoring schemes.

Rabies is an endemic disease in the Philippines. Addressing the disease at source, massive efforts towards dog vaccination and public awareness on rabies have been pursued by various Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country. While marked improvements have been seen, rabies continues to persist where it exists, largely owing to poor surveillance of the disease in animals and weak coordination between the human and animal health sectors. To bridge these critical gaps, the BAI-OIE STANDZ Rabies Project in the Philippines, together with the key rabies stakeholders in Bicol Region, developed the "Practical Inter-sectoral Linking"-an operational protocol and practical network of local key players (human health, animal health and LGUs) involved in rabies detection, reporting and implementation of appropriate interventions. It is initiated by recognized triggers such as detection of confirmed or probable rabies cases and is closely linked with early detection in animals, case investigation, quarantine, diagnosis, reporting and post-exposure prophylaxis. People down to the village level are informed about the routine, protocol and contact details of relevant people in responding to bite victims with the flowchart provided by the tool. This tool was initially rolled out in pilot provinces in the Bicol Region and to date has already documented success in initiating timely actions to 31 laboratory confirmed rabies cases being investigated, which actually saved 46 human lives upon further investigation. With this established at the LGU level, the goal to timely detect suspect or probable rabies cases and promptly implement appropriate interventions are expected to improve, while local officials are empowered with their roles as frontline workers in the prevention and control of rabies.

Genomic surveillance is an important aspect of contemporary disease management but has yet to be used routinely to monitor endemic disease transmission and control in low- and middle-income countries. Rabies is an almost invariably fatal viral disease that causes a large public health and economic burden in Asia and Africa, despite being entirely vaccine preventable. With policy efforts now directed towards achieving a global goal of zero dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030, establishing effective surveillance tools is critical. Genomic data can provide important and unique insights into rabies spread and persistence that can direct control efforts. However, capacity for genomic research in low- and middle-income countries is held back by limited laboratory infrastructure, cost, supply chains and other logistical challenges. Here we present and validate an end-to-end workflow to facilitate affordable whole genome sequencing for rabies surveillance utilising nanopore technology. We used this workflow in Kenya, Tanzania and the Philippines to generate rabies virus genomes in two to three days, reducing costs to approximately £60 per genome. This is over half the cost of metagenomic sequencing previously conducted for Tanzanian samples, which involved exporting samples to the UK and a three- to six-month lag time. Ongoing optimization of workflows are likely to reduce these costs further. We also present tools to support routine whole genome sequencing and interpretation for genomic surveillance. Moreover, combined with training workshops to empower scientists in-country, we show that local sequencing capacity can be readily established and sustainable, negating the common misperception that cutting-edge genomic research can only be conducted in high resource laboratories. More generally, we argue that the capacity to harness genomic data is a game-changer for endemic disease surveillance and should precipitate a new wave of researchers from low- and middle-income countries.

This study was conducted in selected provinces of Bicol Region from April 2015 to May 2015 to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of dog owners regarding rabies and dog bites. A purposive sampling was used in selecting the respondents of the study. Frequencies were tabulated for all variables. Of the 1,200 respondents, 2,193 dogs were recorded making a 2:1 ratio of dogs to householders in this particular study. Among these dogs 58% were vaccinated against rabies. The majority of the ones taking care of the dogs were female (57.3%) but the primary owner (62.9%) was the head of the family. Only 34.7% of the respondents knew that it is their duty to get their pets vaccinated against rabies. Around one-fourth (20.7%) admitted that someone in their household had been bitten by a dog but most respondents (62.5%) did nothing to the dog. The majority (57.7%) of the bite victims were youths (1-14 years old) and almost all (82.7%) of the wound bites were washed with soap and water. Television (44.9%) was the primary source of knowledge about rabies. The majority of participants (67.3%) said that humans are the main end-hosts that can be infected with rabies. Salivation or drooling (42.7%) and craziness (34.2%) were the main signs cited as behaviour of rabid dogs while craziness (40.2%) and hydrophobia or fear of water (25.4%) were cited for rabid humans. Most (33.9%) do not know the source of rabies but the majority (61.8%) believe that vaccination is the main preventive measure against rabies. The majority of participants (63%) reported that the local ordinances regarding rabies in their locality is about the Local Anti-Rabies Act and almost all (93.2%) admitted that vaccination is the most common anti-rabies program of the government.