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Rabies outbreak in Vietnam
Monday, 12 January, 2009
The Thanh Nien News in Vietnam has carried a report on 10th January that 19 people from a commune in the province of Binh Thuan have been hospitalized after being attacked by rabid dogs. All the victims, from Binh Thuan's Tan Phuc Commune, were listed as being in critical condition. A hospital doctor is quoted as saying that this was the first time the hospital had received so many people from one place bitten by rabid dogs in separate attacks. The affected area is inland situated roughly midway between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat.
Rabies is unfortunately endemic in Vietnam and can be present in metropolitan as well as rural areas. The risk to short-term tourists is very small and because the cost of vaccination is high it is not widely used. However, for anyone working in Vietnam for any length of time vaccination is well worth while. Any animal bite or scratch, however trivial, must be suspected of transmitting rabies and cannot be ignored. The wound must be thoroughly cleansed and immediate medical attention sought. This applies whether you have been vaccinated or not. If vaccinated a booster is recommended. If not vaccinated then a full post exposure course of vaccination is needed together with an injection of rabies antiglobulin (not always available everywhere).
