On April 24, according to the Gia Lai Provincial Center for Disease Control, from the beginning of 2025 to now, the province has recorded 3 deaths from rabies, bringing the total number of deaths from this disease to 59 cases since 2015.
In particular, in 2023, Gia Lai is the locality with the highest number of rabies deaths in the country with 14 cases. In 2024, the province continued to rank second nationwide with 9 cases.
According to statistics, nearly 100% of victims were not vaccinated against rabies after being bitten or scratched by dogs and cats.
Part of the reason comes from people's subjectivity, thinking that domestic dogs are not dangerous so they should not vaccinate their pets. Many people after being bitten by dogs do not get vaccinated or do not get enough doses, partly because of difficult economic conditions, partly because they lack understanding of the risk of rabies.
The rabies vaccination rate for dogs and cats is currently only about 20% compared to the total herd, a low level in the context of the high risk of spreading the rabies virus from animals.
Meanwhile, the rabies prevention program is facing difficulties due to lack of funding for outbreak propaganda and monitoring activities. The cost of vaccination and anti-rabies serum is also a major barrier for people in remote areas.
In this situation, in 2024, Gia Lai province received 500 doses of rabies vaccine from sponsorship sources, distributed to remote communes and areas with special difficulties. In 2025, Gia Lai will continue to provide funding to buy vaccines to serve rabies prevention in the area.
