Worry about rabies because of stray dogs and cats, people want strict management

Many worries, insecurity

Although functional agencies continuously issued many warnings, in public areas such as parks and embankments in Can Tho City, the situation of stray dogs, not muzzled or without companions, is still quite common.

Ms. Le Dinh Phuong Uyen (O Mon ward) expressed: "Last month, my relative was bitten by a dog and had to be vaccinated, so now looking at stray dogs and cats, I am very scared. I hope everyone will be more aware to avoid affecting the surrounding people.

According to Ms. Uyen, currently, regulations on violations of management of dog and cat breeding are available, but there are still many people who are indifferent. Functional sectors need to strengthen this work further so that the community strictly implements it, avoiding being psychologically haunted by rabies, affecting life and activities.

Always maintaining strict pet management principles, Ms. Nguyen Ngo Trang Thuy (Tan An ward) also expressed concern about the case of owners neglecting dogs and cats.

I always call on people in the community who love pets to minimize letting pets come into direct contact with strangers, during peak heat when the animal's temperament easily becomes agitated; especially to get vaccinated periodically" - Ms. Thuy added.

Do not use folk remedies

According to the Can Tho Center for Disease Control (CDC), rabies transmission routes include: bite or slick of infected animals (this is the main route of transmission); open wounds or mucous membranes (if infected animals slick open wounds, mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth, the risk of infection is also very high); contact with fluid from infected animals...

Rabies virus from the saliva of sick animals (initial stage), then invades tissues through wounds, through peripheral nerves, to the central nervous system, attacks the brain, and circulates throughout the body through the centrifugal nerve.

Common characteristics of rabies in humans include the onset stage, progression stage and end stage. The onset stage includes manifestations such as: mild fever, headache, fatigue; itching, pain, or feeling of heat in the bitten area (due to the wound); feeling of anxiety, discomfort, or mood swings.

Progressive stage includes manifestations: difficulty swallowing, which can cause vomiting, salivation; muscle stiffness, especially the neck and jaw area; drowsiness, confusion...

In the final stage, the patient shows signs of whole-body paralysis, inability to move, and eventually coma; the patient will die from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.

How to handle when suspected of having rabies, immediately after being bitten or exposed to the saliva of an animal suspected of having rabies, it is necessary to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and clean water for at least 15 minutes. People need to go to a medical facility to be vaccinated against rabies or rabies serum immediately.

The health sector also recommends that many people in remote and isolated areas, when bitten by dogs, still maintain backward habits such as applying leaves, using folk remedies instead of going to the hospital. People should absolutely not use the above methods because they may increase the risk of serious wound infection.