On May 5, the Center for Disease Control of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province said that it had just recorded the first suspected death from rabies in 2025 in Phu My city.
According to the records, Mr. H.C.V.E (born in 1977, residing in Tan Hai Ward, Phu My City) was bitten by a dog twice but did not get a rabies vaccine; Mr. E died and was cremated by his family.
The review process recorded that around August 2020, Mr. E was bitten by a neighbor's dog in the right calf, causing scratches and bleeding. Currently, this dog is still alive, showing no signs of abnormality.
In about February 2024, this person was bitten by another dog in the leg area, causing scratches on the skin. The dog later showed no unusual signs and was stolen 7 months later.
At around 3:00 p.m. on April 20, 2025, Mr. E showed signs of fatigue and swallowing, and was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment at 8:00 p.m. the same day. He was tired, had difficulty breathing, could not swallow, had very high blood pressure (250/130 mmHg), rapid pulse (120 times/minute), fast breathing (24 times/minute) ...
After treatment, the condition did not improve but also showed typical signs of rabies such as fear of wind, fear of water, and unstable nerves.
Although the doctor advised him to transfer to a higher level, the family did not agree and asked the patient to go home. The patient's saliva sample was sent to the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for PCR testing to determine the cause of the disease.
Investigation in the patient's area has recorded many households raising free-range dogs and cats. Local people have also not recorded any cases of dogs and cats recently dying from illness in the nearby area.
Currently, the unit has coordinated with the local health sector to urgently deploy epidemic prevention measures, conduct epidemiological investigations, monitor relatives and people in close contact with the patient to guide disinfection and exfoliation according to regulations for group B infectious diseases; propagate and guide about risks and prevention methods; at the same time, recommend that people bitten by dogs go to medical facilities to get vaccinated against rabies to avoid unfortunate consequences that may occur.
