Potential rabies risk for pet caretakers

Nam is currently an employee at a pet care store. Nam is in charge of pet grooming such as: trimming, shaving, bathing and cleaning. This service can also include pet care and keeping when the owner does not have time or is away such as during holidays, Tet, travel… The difficulty he encounters is that sick animals are prone to anger and attack people. A week ago, he was bitten on the left hand by a Corgi dog while trimming his hair, the wound was deep, bleeding, and he had to get vaccinated.

Vaccination is also the first “shield” Nam equipped himself with when deciding to become a professional pet care worker. The reason is that the staff does not check the vaccination certificate, so it is difficult to know whether the pet has been fully vaccinated against rabies or not. Dogs that have been vaccinated against rabies can still get the disease.

Similar to Nam, Phuong Mai, 27 years old, District 7, also loves pets so she often adopts stray dogs and cats. Mai said the risk of rabies is always present, but she only vaccinates when there is a bleeding wound. This helps her balance her expenses and save money to rescue more stray dogs and cats.

Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of the VNVC Vaccination System, commented that veterinarians, pet care workers, dog and cat rescuers… are at higher risk of injury and exposure to rabies. Vietnam has recorded many cases of rabies in pet caretakers. In 2018, the Department of Infectious Diseases, Bach Mai Hospital received a female veterinarian (24 years old, Phu Tho) who was bitten while treating a dog. The female doctor only gave first aid and did not vaccinate, so she got rabies and died a few days later. In 2023, the Dong Nai Province Center for Disease Control had a case of a pet care worker being bitten on the hand by a dog while working. The victim was promptly vaccinated and injected with rabies serum.

The rabies virus is transmitted mainly through the saliva of infected animals when they bite, scratch or lick a human wound. The more severe the bite and the closer it is to the central nervous system, the shorter the incubation period. The rabies virus develops from the subcutaneous tissue or from the muscles, entering the peripheral nerves to the central nervous system in the spinal cord and brain at an estimated speed of 12-24 mm/day. Here, the rabies virus reproduces very quickly and continues to follow the nerves to the salivary glands, while destroying other nerve cells, causing symptoms such as fear of wind, water, light, agitation, etc.

Dr. Chinh noted that it is necessary to observe the animal’s unusual behavior before taking care of it. If the animal is aggressive, afraid of water or appears anxious – this could be a sign of rabies, the caregiver needs to be alert and handle it carefully.

To prevent the disease, people who have frequent contact with dogs and cats need to be vaccinated against rabies. Everyone should be fully equipped with protective gear such as gloves, masks and protective clothing to avoid being bitten or scratched. In case of injury, the wound should be washed immediately with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then quickly go to a medical facility for timely vaccination. The dog and cat care center needs to check the animal’s vaccination record before accepting care.

The rabies vaccination regimen for active prevention includes injections on days 0, 7, and 21 or 28. A booster is given one year after the primary dose and then every 5 years. In case of being bitten and never having been vaccinated against rabies, a complete series of 5 injections is required on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28. If previously vaccinated, only 2 injections are required on days 0 and 3.

Rabies is an infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans, with a mortality rate of nearly 100%. Since the beginning of 2024, the Ministry of Health has recorded 44 deaths from rabies in dogs and cats in 23 provinces and cities. Most of the rabies deaths were due to not getting vaccinated against rabies, getting vaccinated late, or not following the correct instructions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies is common worldwide. Every year, more than 10 million people bitten by rabid or suspected rabid animals require preventive treatment with rabies vaccines, and approximately 60,000 to 70,000 people die from rabies, most of which are reported from tropical countries.