According to family members, about 6 months ago, the child was bitten on the heel by a house dog but was not vaccinated against rabies but only treated with folk methods. About 5 days before being hospitalized, the child developed dangerous symptoms such as fever, vomiting a lot, headache, fear of water, fear of the wind. Then the condition quickly worsened with manifestations of agitation, talking nonsense.
When transferred to the National Children's Hospital, doctors conducted monitoring and in-depth tests. The results showed that the child was positive for rabies virus in the saliva and a neck and skin biopsy. Despite intensive treatment, the patient's condition did not improve, the child fell into a deep coma, with a very poor prognosis.
According to hospital statistics, only from the beginning of April 2026 to now, 58 children have come for rabies vaccination after being bitten by dogs and cats. Among them, many cases were hospitalized in a state of severe multiple injuries.
Typically, baby M.D (4 years old, Ninh Binh) was hospitalized on May 3rd after being bitten in the head and face by a neighbor's dog. The child has many wide wounds, bleeding profusely on the forehead, head, around the eyes and eyelids on both sides. The wounds are all peeling, bruised, and jagged.
Especially dangerous is the transvaginal lesion of the eyeball causing dense pre-operative bleeding, accompanied by eyelid tears and crushed muscles in the inner corner of the eye. Doctors urgently cleaned, cut and filtered the crushed tissue, sutured and restored the wound according to the anatomical layer and treated the eye area lesions. After that, the patient continued to be injected with rabies serum, vaccinated against rabies and transferred to the Central Eye Hospital for intensive treatment.
Another case is baby D. K (3 years old, Ninh Binh) who was hospitalized in a state of panic with many complex injuries in the head and face. The child has wide wounds on the forehead, temples and scalp, many locations reveal muscle mass, even bones. In addition, the child also suffered conjunctival damage and many wounds on the eyelids, cheeks, armpits and right shoulder.
The family said that the baby was bitten by a dog weighing about 30 kg when they came to play. Immediately after being hospitalized at the National Children's Hospital, the child was cleaned, sewn to restore the wound according to the surgical procedure, and at the same time vaccinated against rabies and rabies vaccine according to the protocol. After about a week of treatment, the patient's condition has stabilized, the surgical wounds are dry, and there are no signs of infection. Currently, the child is still being monitored and vaccinated on schedule.
Doctors warn that dog bite accidents can happen immediately to familiar pets in the family or neighbors. Many parents still subjectively believe that long-term pets will be safe, while just one unintentional action by a child such as pulling their ear, touching them while the animal is eating or sleeping can also cause the dog to react violently.
When bitten by a dog or cat, quickly wash the wound with soap under running water many times, then go to a medical facility for advice and rabies vaccination in time. Rabies is almost incurable when it has developed, so early vaccination is the most important measure to protect your life.
