The Dak Lak Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported on 4/5 that a 5-year-old boy from Krong Nang commune died at home yesterday. The child's death is suspected to be due to rabies, following a cat scratch four months prior and a dog bite three months ago. This marks the province's second suspected rabies death since the beginning of the year.

The CDC indicated the child developed symptoms five days prior to 4/5, including fatigue, light sensitivity, wind sensitivity, poor appetite, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Doctors at Tay Nguyen Regional General Hospital initially diagnosed a fever of unknown origin and monitored for febrile seizures. However, by yesterday, the child's prognosis was death, with a diagnosis encompassing septic shock, sepsis with multi-organ damage, gastrointestinal bleeding, meningoencephalitis, rabies, and respiratory failure grade IV. The family requested to take the child home, where he died on the same day.

According to the family, the child was scratched on the right arm about four months ago by a small cat, approximately six months old. The cat was subsequently sold and could not be traced. Three months ago, the child was bitten by a dog, which scratched the skin on the abdomen. The family noted that the dog is still alive and has shown no unusual symptoms.

The CDC advises residents who are bitten or scratched by dogs or cats to immediately wash the wound with soap under running water for at least 15 minutes. Following this, they should go to the nearest medical facility for examination and prompt rabies vaccination. The CDC emphasized the importance of not being complacent, self-treating at home, or neglecting vaccination.

Tran Hoa