Man dies of rabies after dog bite in Vietnam’s Dong Nai

The latest victim was a Stieng man identified as D.G., who lived in Da Kia Commune, Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper reported.

Around two months ago, while working on a farm, the man discovered that a stray dog had killed four dogs belonging to his family.

He was bitten on a finger while trying to trap the animal, but did not seek medical treatment or receive rabies vaccination.

After killing the stray dog, he sold it to a local resident, who took it to a farm area to be butchered.

In mid-October, the man began showing several symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, loss of appetite, fear of water, fear of wind, swallowing and breathing difficulties.

He was transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, where he was diagnosed with furious rabies.

Given his poor prognosis, his family requested that he be taken home, where he died on October 19.

Contact tracing subsequently identified a six-year-old child, D.Y., from Phu Nghia Commune, who had also been bitten in the chest by the same stray dog on the day the man was attacked.

The child had not received rabies vaccine or rabies immunoglobulin.

The Dong Nai Center for Disease Control, local authorities, and veterinary agencies have adopted measures to contain and address the outbreak.

Health officials have also provided sanitation guidance and arranged disinfection at the victim’s farm, home, and the location where the dog was butchered.