According to the assessment of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the rabies situation is complicated with a high number of deaths. In the first 7 months of 2024, the whole country recorded 60 deaths due to rabies, an increase of 18 cases compared to the same period last year. The Central Highlands region recorded 23 deaths due to rabies in 8 provinces and cities and nearly 200,000 people had to receive preventive treatment for rabies due to dog and cat bites. The number of deaths due to rabies over the years accounts for the majority of the total number of deaths from all infectious diseases in Vietnam. In the first 7 months of 2024, the number of deaths suspected of being due to rabies had an incubation period of 0 to more than 90 days. The long duration of rabies makes people bitten by dogs more subjective and not pay attention, until rabies develops, there is no possibility of saving their lives. According to the Program for Control and Elimination of Rabies in Humans in Vietnam, it shows that; The animal that bites people who need to be vaccinated is mainly dogs, accounting for 84%, and deaths due to dog bites account for 97%.

Phu Yen is also in the general context of the Central Highlands region where rabies is developing complicatedly. This year, Phu Yen also had 02 deaths due to rabies, both of which were bitten by dogs without being vaccinated against rabies. This is a painful lesson about subjectivity and lack of knowledge about rabies prevention. Dr. Tran Ngoc Than, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Prevention - International Health Quarantine, CDC Phu Yen said; Rabies is one of the dangerous infectious diseases, when rabies occurs, the possibility of death is almost 100%, and there is no way to save the life. Many people when bitten by dogs think; If a pet dog bites you, it's okay, or the bite is minor, just disinfect the bite, and you don't need to get a rabies vaccine or go to a medical facility for advice and post-exposure prophylaxis. Many subjective cases have paid the price with their lives.

Recently, in Tuy Duong village, An Hiep commune, Tuy An district, there was also a case of a suspected rabid dog biting 6 people in a row, including children. After being bitten by a dog, these cases were delayed in getting anti-rabies serum due to subjectivity, and only when the dog died for unknown reasons did people get anti-rabies serum. Tuy An District Health Center and An Hiep Commune Health Station went to each household to instruct and mobilize the 6 cases bitten by suspected rabid dogs on how to treat wounds and post-exposure prophylaxis, and to get rabies vaccination immediately. In this case, any delay or subjectivity can cost lives. Cases of suspected rabid dogs biting people in large numbers in Phu Yen province are no longer rare and have occurred in many localities such as Dong Hoa town, Song Cau town and Tuy An district... This poses many potential risks of rabies and if we do not know how to handle it, there will be many more deaths due to rabies.

(The provincial Center for Disease Control monitors 01 case of suspected rabies dog bite in Xuan Thanh ward, Song Cau town, Phu Yen province)

According to Master, Doctor Hoang Tien Thanh, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Prevention, Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, death due to rabies is a great loss for the victim's family. Wounds caused by dog ​​and cat bites can affect the victim's aesthetics and mental health for life, causing loss of opportunities for entertainment, study, and work. Doctor Thanh also added that there are many reasons why people bitten by dogs and cats do not get vaccinated against rabies, such as subjectively thinking that; because the dog bit them, it is okay and at the time of the dog bite, the dog was still normal, or using traditional medicine to treat rabies, not having money to get vaccinated, not understanding about rabies. For children, when bitten by dogs, they often do not tell their families.

According to the Phu Yen Provincial Center for Disease Control, in 2023-2024, the situation of dogs and cats, mainly bitten by dogs, is at an alarming level in Phu Yen province. The rate of people getting rabies vaccination and anti-rabies serum has increased over the years. In the first 7 months of 2024, CDC Phu Yen recorded 7,961 people getting rabies vaccination, of which 482 people had to get additional anti-rabies serum. Doctor Nguyen Thanh Tu, in charge of the rabies prevention program of CDC Phu Yen, added; The fact that more and more people are getting rabies vaccination shows that people are more aware of their health, as well as understanding the danger of rabies. When bitten by dogs, they proactively go to medical facilities for examination and advice on rabies prevention treatment. However, this also reflects the reality that more and more wild/suspected wild animals are biting people. At the 2024 Rabies Prevention Conference in the Central and Central Highlands regions recently held in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa, veterinary and medical experts pointed out many reasons why the rabies situation has become so complicated and dangerous as it is today, such as; Lack of human resources for management and vaccination of dogs and cats, and the total number of dogs and cats in the management area has not been counted. Remote areas make it difficult to access rabies vaccination for dogs and cats. The situation of dogs roaming freely in the area cannot be handled, as well as the bad habits of people about letting dogs and cats roam freely. In particular, people's awareness and understanding of rabies vaccination for dogs and cats is still poor and they pay little attention. People believe in and seek folk remedies after being bitten by a dog, as well as people's subjectivity when bitten by a dog and do not go to a medical facility to get a rabies vaccine. In any case of being bitten by a dog or cat, even if it is just a minor scratch, you must immediately go to a medical facility for advice, support and post-exposure prophylaxis. Rabies is a very dangerous infectious disease that can be fatal, but there is a vaccine to protect against it. Many cases of suspected rabid dog bites could have been saved, but because of subjectivity and lack of knowledge, they have left a lot of pain for their families and society. In addition, all people need to comply with regulations on keeping dogs and cats at home and take proactive measures to prevent suspected rabid dogs from biting people.

QUOC TA