HÀ NỘI Northern Việt Nam remains the region with the highest number of deaths from rabies, accounting for 80 per cent of the country’s total, a health official said yesterday.

The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine deputy director Đặng Quang Tấn said at a meeting on rabies prevention that the country had been making efforts to control rabies and has seen a decrease in the number of deaths from rabies for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017.

However, the number of fatalities increased again last year, rising to 103 from 74 in 2017, he noted.

In the first half of 2019, the country reported 46 deaths from rabies in 24 cities and provinces with Sơn La recording six cases, the highest number.

“Most deaths from rabies occur because people aren’t aware of the consequences and don’t go to get treated after being bitten. Most fatalities happen in rural areas where dogs often roam free and are not vaccinated,” Tấn said.

Reports by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology show that rabies is the main cause of most deaths from infectious diseases in Việt Nam. — VNS