Veterinary staff of Song Lo district vaccinate dogs against rabies. Photo: Kim Ly
Recently, in Nhan Dao commune (Song Lo), there was a death suspected to be due to being bitten by a rabid dog since March 2025 and not getting vaccinated against rabies serum as instructed by medical staff.
In early June 2025, the patient showed signs of fatigue, difficulty breathing, and difficulty swallowing. His family then took him to a medical facility for treatment, but he did not survive. The patient's sample was sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for testing and the results were suspected positive for rabies virus and are being confirmed.
After the patient died, the locality carried out disinfection work at the patient's household; controlled the dogs and cats in the commune to promptly detect sick dogs and cats suspected of having rabies; and propagated to raise awareness of disease prevention for the people.
Previously, in Lap Thach district, there were 2 deaths due to being bitten by a rabid dog without receiving exposure prophylaxis, including 1 case in Lien Son commune and 1 case in Ngoc My commune.
According to statistics from the Provincial Center for Disease Control, from 2023 to present, the whole province has had 6 deaths due to dog bites, of which 5 cases have tested positive for rabies virus and 1 case that just occurred in Nhan Dao commune is being tested for confirmation.
From January to May 2025, the whole province had 2,047 cases exposed to rabies virus that were consulted and treated with rabies vaccine, of which 127 cases had to be injected with anti-rabies serum.
The province has detected 3 rabies outbreaks, of which 2 outbreaks were in Lap Thach district with 2 deaths; 1 outbreak in Binh Xuyen district with no deaths due to timely treatment of exposure. The death case in Song Lo district is being confirmed by testing and the outbreak will be announced when the test results are positive.
To carry out rabies prevention and control in the community, the Provincial Center for Disease Control coordinates with medical centers of districts and cities to strengthen disease surveillance activities; promptly detect infected and suspected cases; raise public awareness about the dangers of rabies; conduct preventive treatment for people at high risk of exposure to rabies virus due to dog and cat bites according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health .
When an outbreak is detected, the center coordinates with local authorities and veterinary officers in the area to review, investigate, and monitor cases of exposure to rabies virus, handle the environment and sources of infection, and instruct people on preventive treatment measures according to regulations.
Comrade Truong Cong Thang, Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: "The total dog population in the province is currently more than 71,800, the rate of dogs vaccinated against rabies is more than 56%. To achieve the goal of preventing, controlling, and reducing the risk of death due to rabies virus, the unit has strengthened coordination with localities to manage dog and cat populations; and promoted the construction of rabies-safe facilities at the commune and ward levels.
By 2025, strive to vaccinate 80% of dogs and cats against rabies. At the same time, promote people to register their dog and cat breeding with the commune-level authorities and make a commitment to keep dogs and cats in the family compound, not to let them roam freely and to muzzle them when taking them out of the house, and to periodically vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies once a year.
Veterinary staff of Dinh Trung ward (Vinh Yen) propagate to households raising dogs and cats to recognize signs of animals with rabies. Photo: Kim Ly
To effectively implement the national rabies prevention and control program for the period 2022 - 2030, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to strengthen communication work on the management of dogs, cats and animals at risk of causing rabies; organize investigations and take samples for testing to promptly and completely handle rabies outbreaks, preventing the spread of the disease.
Strengthen rabies vaccination in districts and cities for livestock and poultry; review and evaluate the current status of rabies prevention and control, identify shortcomings and limitations, and promptly advise and propose to the Provincial People's Committee to deploy necessary solutions.
For the Department of Health, the Provincial People's Committee directed to improve the capacity of rabies prevention and control for grassroots health workers, increase the effectiveness of prevention and treatment of exposure for cases of dog and cat bites; closely coordinate with central agencies to promptly find the exact cause of deaths suspected of being infected with rabies virus; coordinate with relevant sectors to propagate and raise awareness and knowledge about the danger level of the disease and measures to treat wounds, and provide advice on rabies vaccination.
Localities coordinate with the police force to grasp the situation in the area, strictly control the transportation, trading and slaughter of dogs and cats, promptly and strictly handle cases where dog and cat owners do not comply with regulations on dog and cat management, causing serious consequences...
According to the authorities, the cause of deaths due to rabies is due to the subjective mentality of not going to a medical facility for examination and treatment of exposure according to the protocol after being bitten by a dog or cat. Therefore, to protect the health of oneself and the community, each person needs to have a correct understanding and awareness of the nature and level of danger of rabies and promptly treat exposure at a medical facility when there is a high risk of rabies virus infection.
Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/129823/Ngan-chan-benh-dai-lay-lan-trong-cong-dong
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