HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has set a target of controlling rabies in dogs and eliminating the disease in humans by 2021.

Under the national Programme for Rabies Prevention and Control for 2017-21 period, which was recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, the number of provinces with high risk of rabies and the number of people who have died of rabies will be reduced by 60 per cent compared with the 2011-15 period’s average figure.

A list of dog raising households will be prepared for over 95 per cent of wards, communes and districts and 85 per cent of the dogs will receive rabies vaccinations.

To achieve the above-mentioned goal, the programme has listed a number of solutions, including making a list of dog raising households and the number of dogs breeding in each household to ensure all dogs are vaccinated and to provide timely treatment to those who get bitten by dogs and other animals that may potentially be carrying the rabies virus.

Surveillance system, disease reporting and dissemination of information on rabies prevention to the whole community will also be improved.

Rabies is a dangerous and acutely infectious viral disease, which is spread to people from infected animals, in particular dogs. According to statistics from the World Health Organisation, 50,000 people die of rabies and more than 10 million people are injected with the rabies vaccination every year.

According to the Ministry of Health, during the 2011-15 period, some 400,000 people were bitten by suspected rabid dogs and on average 90 people died due to rabies per year. Deaths mainly occurred in the northern midlands and mountainous regions.

Some 49 deaths due to rabies have been recorded across the country until September last year, compared with 58 deaths in 22 provinces in the previous year. — VNS