Olongapo SubicBay BatangGapo Newscenter

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

IP Foundation Pursues Rabies-Free Country Campaign in Zambales

Subic, Zambales -- Publicly-listed Information and Communications Technology company, IPVG Corp. (PSE: IPVG), its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, IP Foundation (IPF) and Family Vaccine and Specialty Clinics, Inc. (FVSC) marks another win in the fight against Rabies with the opening of another Animal Bite Treatment Clinic (ABTC) in Bgy. Wawandue, Subic , Zambales.

This milestone is made possible through the efforts of former Vice-Governor Ramon Lacbain, current Executive Director of Zambales War Against Poverty Foundation.

“The combination of a vaccination and treatment facility in tandem with our drugstore is an opportunity to help fight rabies and provide affordable vaccines and health service for poverty-stricken places in the province. With the help of IP Foundation and FVSC, we are really close to achieving this goal,” says Lacbain.

The aim of the Botika Natin program in Zambales is to build a chain of drugstores that supply affordable medicine. It is a way of fighting the war against poverty through lower cost but quality goods and services.

"The collaboration established between IP Foundation and the Zambales War Against Poverty Foundation with the Botika Natin program is a milestone for the beneficiaries of both organizations. We are happy that our health service endeavours can be used to further the livelihood program for the people of Zambales at the same time address the rabies problem. We are hopeful that nearby provinces will soon follow and join the campaign," says Marco Y. Santos, Chairman of IP Foundation.

In line with the Department of Health and World Health Organization’s “ Rabies-Free Island ” campaign the said ABTC is part of IPF's goal to set up 100 clinics all over the country. The Philippines is ranked 4th highest in the number of reported rabies cases worldwide, after India , China and Bangladesh according to WHO.

FVSC's mission is to provide affordable, accessible and available animal bite and anti-rabies treatment. At PhP 375.00 per intra-dermal injection of the active vaccine, local residents in the area will no longer have to travel long distances and purchase the expensive vaccines individually to get treatment. At the same time, FVSC's low-cost pricing is further augmented by a FREE injection to be given during the first and last visit out of the total 8 required.

The Eradication of Rabies
According to the Department of Health, rabies is a viral infection of animals that can be transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, most often by a bite or scratch or licks on broken skin or mucous membrane, such as the eyes, nose or mouth. Rabies cases recorded in the Philippines come form bites of dogs (98%) and cats (2%).

In the Philippines , rabies is one of the main concerns in the health sector today. 300 to 600 deaths are recorded yearly due to the rabies infection.

Specialty Clinics
FVSC provide rabies treatment at affordable prices through its chain of specialty clinics. It focuses on setting up bite clinics that administer both pre- and post-exposure treatment. This is at no cost to the local government unit (LGU), and is fully-funded by IP Foundation. The clinic provides vaccines, nurses, and all equipment in the center and uses only globally-accepted, high quality vaccines. These vaccines are all BFAD-approved, WHO-recognized and compliant with WHO/DOH guidelines.

Treatments and consultations for animal bite victims are also available in 13 provinces nationwide. The clinics are located in Aklan, Batangas, Benguet, Bohol , Bulacan, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Quezon, Rizal and Romblon.

For more information on IP Foundation's health advocacy programme, call tel. no. (02) 7571731 loc. 404.

About IPVG Corp.
IPVG Corp. is publicly listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE: IPVG) and engaged in the information technology and communications space. IPVG owns three operating subsidiaries engaged in information technology and telecommunications, on-line gaming, and business process outsourcing.

About IP Foundation
IP Foundation is IPVG’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm. Its mission is to provide low-cost and innovative technology-based solutions in healthcare and education. Its current network of vaccination clinics nationwide is designed to provide affordable, accessible and available treatment for animal bites. It is also committed to improve computer literacy of underserved populations.

About FVSC
FVSC is a privately held company primarily engaged in the importation, distribution and administration of vaccines through clinics set up throughout the country. FVSC's mission is to make quality and essential vaccines accessible, available and affordable to Filipinos, particularly to those belonging to the lower income groups.

Editorial contact:
Sheila Rada
IPVG Corp.
Tel. No. – [02] 757 1731
Email – sheila.rada@ipvg.com

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