The Vietnam National Children’s Hospital has extended medical check-up and treatment services to almost 90 children who fell victim to animal bites during the week-long Tet holiday, with many of them badly injured.

Most of these victims were scratched or bitten by animals, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice, when attending Tet festivities, which ended on Sunday, according to Le Kien Ngai, head of the hospital’s infection prevention and control department.

He elaborated that lots of domesticated animals were not vaccinated against rabies prior to their attacks on these victims.

Moreover, local residents often encounter challenges in accessing anti-rabies serum and vaccines during extended holidays, leading to an elevated risk of contracting rabies, Dr. Ngai said.

Among the victims with severe dog bites, a seven-year-old boy hailing from Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam sustained intestinal perforation, after a dog bit him on the back, abdomen, and thighs during his visit to his maternal grandmother during Tet.

He was transferred to the hospital in Hanoi, where he underwent surgery to remove a portion of his intestine before receiving anti-rabies serum and vaccine.

In another case, a six-year-old girl from suburban Hanoi was bitten on the head by her family's dog, resulting in part of her skull being exposed.

She received first aid at a local hospital and was subsequently sent to the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital for further treatment.

Rabies is a viral encephalitis that is transmitted from animals to humans through a bite, scratch, or lick from an infected animal, the doctor explained.

The incubation period in humans for rabies is typically between one and three months after exposure.

There is a modest number of cases in which the time between the bite and the appearance of symptoms may be less than nine days or as long as several years.

Various factors can influence the incubation period of rabies, including the severity of the wound, the proximity of the exposure to the central nervous system, and the quantity of viruses invading the victim's body.

The doctor advised that if someone is injured by a bite or scratch from a dog, cat, or wild animal, they should promptly visit the nearest medical facility to receive first aid and be informed about measures to prevent rabies.

He cautioned family members of the victim against resorting to traditional medicine or unproven remedies for rabies prevention.

Seeking professional medical attention is crucial in such cases.

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