Rabies concerns, more deaths and vaccine advice

Families who are raising dogs and cats should have their pets vaccinated against rabies. Vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies will greatly reduce the risk of transmission to humans.

Recently, another suspected rabies death was recorded in Dak Lak province, bringing the total number of suspected rabies deaths in the locality to 6. In 2023, the Central Highlands provinces were the region with the most deaths from rabies.

Safpo/Potec vaccination system is vaccinating people against rabies.

Previously, Xuan Loc District Medical Center (Dong Nai) confirmed that a death case due to a rabid dog bite in the district was recorded, Ms. NTNB (44 years old, Xuan Hung commune).

According to information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Dong Nai province, there has just been a death at Dong Nai General Hospital due to rabies. The patient is Ms. NTS, 69 years old, residing in Phu Quy 2 Hamlet, La Nga Commune, Dinh Quan District.

In the first 7 months of 2024, there were 65 deaths from rabies nationwide. According to the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), nearly 500,000 people nationwide were bitten by dogs and cats and had to receive preventive treatment by getting rabies vaccination at medical facilities.

In recent years, rabies cases have been on the rise and have become one of the most common infectious diseases with the highest number of deaths.

In our country, on average, about 70 people die each year from rabies. Although this is a disease that has a vaccine for both humans and animals, it has become a disease that has a major impact on health as well as creating a socio-economic burden.

According to the representative of the Department of Preventive Medicine, the Ministry of Health said the risk of rabies transmission from animals to humans continues due to the low rate of rabies vaccination in the total dog and cat population; limited management of dog and cat populations; and limited public awareness.

Rabies is an extremely dangerous disease when it breaks out, people who have rabies are almost 100% fatal; the only way to save people when bitten by a rabid dog or cat is to get a rabies vaccine as soon as possible.

There is currently no specific treatment for rabies, but it is completely preventable. To proactively prevent rabies, people need to take the following measures: People who raise dogs and cats need to be fully vaccinated against rabies and get annual booster shots according to veterinary recommendations; dogs must be chained, locked up, and muzzled when going out.

Do not play with or tease dogs or cats. When bitten by a dog or cat, wash the wound immediately under running water with soap for 15 minutes; if soap is not available, rinse the wound with plain water. Afterwards, the wound should be cleaned with 70% alcohol or iodine alcohol; avoid bruising the wound and do not cover the wound.

Go to a medical facility promptly for examination, consultation and injection of rabies vaccine and anti-rabies serum; absolutely do not self-treat or seek treatment from a traditional healer.

Communicate and instruct children on how to prevent dog and cat bites and to immediately notify their parents or relatives after being bitten by a dog or cat.

Rabies can be prevented with a vaccine. The rabies vaccine does not harm the person who receives the vaccine. The rabies vaccine is made from inactivated rabies virus, so it cannot cause disease, memory loss, or other neurological problems.

The Ministry of Health recommends that people do not hesitate or hesitate to get vaccinated against rabies when bitten by a dog or animal. Go immediately to the nearest medical facility for timely advice and treatment.

Doctor Nguyen Tuan Hai, Safpo/Potec Vaccination System said that people, if possible, can get vaccinated against rabies before exposure.

Accordingly, if you get a preventive injection, you only need 3 injections, which is completely flexible in terms of time. If you are unfortunately bitten by a dog or cat, the injection schedule will be simpler, you only need 2 injections of vaccine without having to inject rabies serum even if the wound is severe, the bite site is close to the central nervous system or where many nerves are concentrated.

Meanwhile, if you do not get vaccinated against rabies before being bitten by a dog or cat, you need to get 5 injections within a strict time limit of one month, especially in cases of severe wounds or vital locations, you need to get serum injections, which greatly affects your psychology and daily routine, as well as causing more pain and side effects.

Especially in remote areas, rabies serum and vaccine are not always available, there are times when they are scarce, causing people who have been bitten by animals to be very confused and scared.

For children, pre-exposure rabies vaccination is especially important because children often do not pay attention to injuries caused by animals while playing with pets and may forget to notify their parents (except in severe cases).

Furthermore, children have short bodies, so when bitten by dogs, they are more likely to be bitten on the head, face, and neck than adults, which is also the reason why the rabies virus moves faster to the central nervous system and causes disease quickly.

In addition, due to concerns that the rabies vaccine has side effects, affects the nervous system, and causes memory loss, Dr. Hai said that the old generation of vaccines also have this problem.

However, rabies vaccines are now produced using modern technology and do not contain nerve cells, so they are harmless and do not affect the health or memory of users.

The new generation rabies vaccine uses fractional centrifugation technique, ensuring low levels of impurities and complying with World Health Organization (WHO) quality standards (less than 10 nanograms per dose).

Some vaccines do not use the preservative thimerosal (mercury), so the new generation of rabies vaccines also minimizes local side effects such as swelling, pain, fever, etc. compared to the old generation of vaccines that have been discontinued.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/benh-dai-dang-lo-ngai-them-truong-hop-tu-vong-va-loi-khuyen-vac-xin-d227761.html