The Epinhood (TEH)

RABIES – VIET NAM (03): ONE HEALTH APPROACH

A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Wed 17 May 2023
Source: Outbreak News Today [edited] http://outbreaknewstoday.com/vietnam-reports-410-human-rabies-deaths-in-past-5-years-88711/

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has just issued an urgent document
directing departments and People’s Committees of districts and Thu Duc
City to strengthen urgent measures to prevent and control rabies in
the area.

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee said that statistics over the past
5 years across the country show that rabies has killed 410 people, and
over 2.7 million people have to receive preventive treatment,
affecting public health, and cause great economic loss. Currently, the
risk of rabies continues to occur and causes very high mortality in
humans.

Therefore, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City assigned the
Department of Health to direct the health agency to coordinate with
the veterinary agency to promptly notify when detecting or receiving
information about cases of people infected with rabies by dogs or cats
or suspected rabies bite.

Strengthening human rabies surveillance with the participation of the
community in the direction of “One Health”, with close coordination of
the veterinary and health sectors, ensuring compliance with legal
regulations.

In addition, ensuring access to human rabies vaccines, disseminating
addresses of rabies vaccination points, and communicating instructions
to guide people bitten by dogs and cats to medical facilities for
timely preventive treatment.

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City also requested the
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to direct the
Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Veterinary Medicine to
coordinate with local authorities to continue reviewing and
statisticizing the herd of dogs and cats twice a year in order to
manage them. closely manage the herd fluctuations, as a basis for
effective vaccination.

In particular, carry out annual rabies vaccination for dogs and cats,
focusing on vaccination in March and April and regular additional
vaccinations according to age for dogs and cats in the city in
accordance with regulations.

Along with that, promoting information and propaganda work so that dog
and cat owners are responsible for strictly complying with regulations
on dog management, do not let dogs run loose; organize professional
training for veterinary staff to improve skills in surveillance, risk
assessment, investigation, and treatment of outbreaks related to
rabies; and continue to train staff of People’s Committees of wards
and communes in catching stray dogs in the area.

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City also assigned the Chairman
of the People’s Committee of Thu Duc City and the districts to
organize the review and accurate statistics on the number of
households raising dogs and cats in each residential area; guide and
request dog and cat-raising households to commit to strictly
implementing declaration and declaration of livestock production
activities; comply with the keeping of dogs and cats in the family
premises; ensure veterinary hygiene conditions; not to affect the
people around; and vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies according to
regulations.

Localities are also tasked with establishing and having a mechanism
for teams to handle stray dogs and carry out the work of catching
stray dogs in the area.