Rabies Deaths Double in Vietnam in Jan-Feb, Central Highlands Becomes Hotspot
Vietnam recorded 22 rabies deaths in the first two months of this year, doubling year on year, the Ministry of Health’s General Department of Preventive Medicine announced on March 13.
During the two-month period, the Central Highlands region remained a hotspot for rabies, with two out of provinces reporting fatalities, namely Dak Lak with four cases, Gia Lai with one case.
Since 2022, there has been a rising trend in rabies cases, with several provinces and cities recording high numbers of deaths. For instance, Gia Lai reported 14 cases, Nghe An and Binh Phuoc seven cases each, Dien Bien six cases, Ben Tre five cases, and Dak Lak and Binh Thuan four cases each.
The Department noted recent cases with a short incubation period, ranging from 10-15 days. Many of these cases involve children under five years old who were bitten by dogs or cats on the head or face, resulting in severe injuries near the central nervous system.
The Department pointed out that the primary cause of rabies deaths is due to individuals bitten by suspected rabid animals not receiving post-exposure prophylaxis and failing to receive or delaying rabies vaccination, or not receiving the appropriate dosage as prescribed.
Additionally, management of dog and cat populations in some areas is lax, with low rates of rabies vaccination among animals, reaching only about 50% of the total dog and cat population in some places, and as low as 10% in others.
The National Rabies Prevention and Control Program for the 2022-2030 period stipulated the vaccination of 70% of the total dog and cat population during the 2022-2025 period.