National Rabies Control Program gets 10,000 doses of vaccine

This is part of the donation offered by AMV Medical Group, Indian Immunologicals Ltd. Co., and Duc Minh Medical JSC.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Head of the Office for National Rabies Prevention and Control Program, reported that Viet Nam recorded 56 deaths from rabies in the first 6 months of this year, an increase of 50% compared to the same period in 2023.

She noted that the number of people injured by animal bites in Vietnam has increased continuously over the past three years, at a rate of up to 30-40% annually. This has led to a short-term shortage of vaccines, thus causing great risks to vulnerable people.

Therefore, she hailed the donation as a timely and meaningful action to support Viet Nam in ending rabies-caused deaths.

For his part, Dr. Anand Kumar, General Director of Indian Immunologicals Ltd. Co., expressed his hope that the donation will save the lives of many Vietnamese people who cannot afford vaccination.

On March 14, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 11/CT-TTg on the concentrated implementation of rabies prevention and control measures.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported 82 deaths from rabies in 30 provinces and cities in 2023. A total of 674,888 individuals were bitten by animals, marking a 45 percent increase from 2022, predominantly by dogs (80 percent), cats (18 percent), and other animals like monkeys, rats and bats.

Every year, about 500,000 people mauled by dogs in Viet Nam have to undergo preventive treatment, causing damage of VND700 billion (US$29.5 million)./.