On 25/8, a representative from the Dong Thap Department of Health announced that the family's home and belongings, potentially contaminated with the child's saliva and secretions, had been disinfected. Individuals who had direct contact with the patient were also advised to seek rabies vaccination at a medical facility.
According to an epidemiological investigation, the girl, who lived with her parents in Dao Thanh ward, was visiting her maternal grandmother's house in My Phuoc Tay ward on 4/7 when she suddenly screamed. Family members found a bleeding wound, about 6 cm long, on her forehead, and a strange dog was seen nearby.
The child was taken to Tien Giang General Hospital, where the wound was stitched, and she was diagnosed with a head and facial injury from a domestic accident. The family did not mention the suspected dog bite, so she did not receive rabies vaccine or anti-rabies serum. The next day, her mother took her to a private vaccination center, where she was advised to get a pre-exposure rabies vaccine, but the family declined.
On 13/8, the child was admitted to Tien Giang General Hospital with symptoms initially diagnosed as a gastrointestinal infection, acute tonsillitis, and suspected dengue fever. The next day, her condition worsened with muscle spasms on one side of her body, leading to her transfer to Children's Hospital 1. Doctors monitored for viral encephalitis and did not rule out rabies, subsequently transferring her to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Two saliva tests both returned positive for the rabies virus.
On 20/8, the family requested the child's discharge in critical condition. One day later, she was readmitted with a diagnosis of furious rabies, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and pneumonia. The following evening, the patient suffered cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated, and her heart function returned, but the family requested to take her home, where she subsequently died.
 |
Stray dog, unmuzzled. Photo: The Bang |
Stray dog, unmuzzled. Photo: The Bang
Local authorities stated that within the past month, no residents had reported suspected rabid dog or cat attacks, nor had any pets shown signs of rabies. Authorities have not yet located the grey dog suspected of biting the child.
Dong Thap province currently records 9 cases of rabid dogs across 8 communes and wards, with 10 dogs culled. As of 18/8, one outbreak focus remains in Long Tien commune.
Rabies is untreatable. Once symptoms appear, 100% of patients die. The only preventive measure is immediate vaccination and anti-rabies serum administration upon exposure. A rabies vaccine regimen involves at least three initial doses administered one week apart, followed by booster shots if necessary and as directed by a doctor.
The Pasteur Institute Ho Chi Minh City reported a 92% increase in rabies deaths in the Southern region compared to the same period last year, with 23 cases recorded in the first half of the year. This is due to many people neglecting rabies vaccination after being scratched or bitten by dogs or cats, and the rabies virus circulating in the dog and cat population while animal vaccination rates remain low.
Hoang Nam
