HCMC Only Locality in Vietnam to Attain Certification as Rabies Safe Zone
Ho Chi Minh City has become the only city in Vietnam to achieve certification as a rabies safe zone for animals at the provincial level, with a vaccination rate against rabies reaching over 90% of the total dog and cat population, according to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC).
The figure were announced when Vietnam recorded 27 fatalities from rabies across 15 provinces and cities in the year to March 27, representing more than a twofold increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Mr. Le Minh Tri, deputy head of the Epidemiology Livestock Department at the Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of HCMC, stated that HCMC is home to 183,700 dogs and cats owned by 106,060 households.
Currently, HCMC is administering rabies vaccines to dogs, cats, and their owners at a cost ranging from VND12,500 to VND23,000 ($0.52-$0.96) per dose.