Published Date: 2007-09-10 18:00:07
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies, human - Viet Nam: RFI
Archive Number: 20070910.2992
RABIES, HUMAN - VIET NAM: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: 10 Sep 2007
Source: China View / Xinhua Net [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/10/content_6697045.htm>
Eighty-one people in Vietnam died of rabies in
the 1st 8 months of this year, local newspaper
Vietnam Economic Times reported Monday [10 Sep
2007]. Most of the victims were from the northern
provinces of Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Ha Tay and Yen
Bai, the paper quoted Vietnamese Deputy Health
Minister Trinh Quan Huan as saying.
Viet Nam has annually reported 80 fatalities due
to rabies since 2004, up from only 34 in 2003.
Nearly 5.9 million people in Viet Nam have been
bitten by rabies-infected dogs or cats in the
last 10 years, much higher than the figure in the
pre-1996 period, according to the ministry.
Viet Nam, with a population of some 85 million,
is encouraging vaccinations among people and dogs
in a bid to contain the disease by 2010 and eradicate it by 2015.
[Byline: Pan Letian]
--
Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
[From the above newswire, it appears as though
reported cases of human rabies are increasing in
Viet Nam, as the total reported in the 1st 8
months of this year (through the end of August
2007) is higher than the annual reports for the
country since 2004. A key question that arises is
whether this increase in reports is a real
increase versus perhaps better/heightened
surveillance so that more cases are now being
captured for report by the Ministry of Public
Health. There was no database in English
available on the Ministry of Health Website in
Viet Nam to permit validating the information reported in the above newswire.
Rabies is a significant zoonotic disease
worldwide that is also on the list of vaccine
preventible diseases. Major vaccination programs
of domestic animals in countries have resulted in
significant reductions in human rabies as the
majority of cases in developing countries are a
result of bites by rabies infected domestic
animals such as dogs and cats. With respect to
human disease, adequate post-exposure vaccination
(using rabies hyperimmune globulin combined with
locally available rabies vaccine) has a high
efficacy in preventing human disease.
Unfortunately in many countries, the population
does not seek post-exposure prophylaxis after
being bitten by an animal that may be infected
with rabies virus. According to the WHO Western
Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) website, 90
percent of human rabies associated with dog bites
in the world occurs in Asia. There is also
mention that the economic cost of rabies to the
region is approximately USD 585 million per year
(see <http://www.wpro.who.int/health_topics/rabies/>).
For those who are interested in reading more on
the topic, the WHO Expert Consultation Report on
Rabies, produced in 2005 is available at
<http://www.who.int/rabies/trs931_%2006_05.pdf>.
According to this report, "Human mortality from
endemic canine rabies was estimated to be 55 000
deaths per year (90 percent Confidence Interval
(CI): 24 500�90 800) with 56 percent of the
deaths estimated to occur in Asia and 44 percent
in Africa. The majority (84 percent) of these
deaths occur in rural areas." The contrast in
stated statistics from this report and the prior
paragraph's information from the WPRO website
probably reflects differential reporting between
Asia and Africa, and the stated 90 percent from
the earlier reflects improved reporting from Asia.
More information on the epidemiology and control
of rabies in Viet Nam would be appreciated.
For maps of Viet Nam with provinces, see
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/vietnam_admin01.jpg>
and <http://www.angelfire.com/co/hongnam/vnmap.html>. - Mod.MPP]
[Although a continuous national anti-rabies
domestic animal vaccination program would be
ideal, given Viet Nam's successful surveillance
program for H5N1 avian influenza that reaches
well into rural areas, it would appear that a
similar rabies monitoring effort would provide
important coverage and indicate where intensified
public education and domestic animal vaccination
might be focused initially. Intensified disease
control programs have a substantial cost, but
then so do human rabies post-exposure treatments,
treatment of clinical human cases and fatalities
where timely treatment does not take place. -Mod. TY]
See Also
Rabies, human, canine - China (02) 20070725.2390Rabies, human - Guatemala: RFI 20070713.2241
Rabies, human, animal - Georgia, Russia, Ukraine 20070625.2047
Rabies, human, canine - USA (CO) 20070622.2011
Rabies, human, animal - Russia (Udmurtia), Ukraine (Donetsk) 20070621.2004
Rabies, human, canine - China 20070612.1917
Rabies, human, rabbit - Georgia (Guria) 20070521.1623
Rabies, human, canine - China (Hunan) 20070305.0782
Rabies, canine, human - Indonesia (Flores) 20070227.0708
Rabies, human, feline - Bulgaria: alert 20070224.0678
Rabies, human - Philippines (Iloilo) 20070209.0506
Rabies, human, canine - China (Beijing) 20070204.0449
Rabies, human, canine - Colombia (Santa Marta) 20070202.0423
Rabies, human, canine - Angola (Huambo) 20070122.0298
2006
-----
Rabies, human, canine - China (04) 20061213.3504
Rabies, animals & human - Russia (Multi-region) 20061207.3456
Rabies, human - Japan (Kanagawa) ex Philippines 20061122.3322
Rabies, human - Japan (Kyoto) ex Philippines 20061118.3303
Rabies, human, canine - China (03) 20061111.3240
Rabies, human, canine - China (03) 20061110.3225
Rabies, human, canine - China (02) 20061010.2905
Rabies, human - China 20061001.2817
Rabies, human - Kyrgyzstan (Osh) 20060920.2681
Rabies, human, canine - China (Beijing, Shanghai) 20060827.2443
Rabies, human, canine - China (Beijing)(02) 20060826.2424
Rabies, canine, human - China (Shandong) 20060805.2174
Rabies, canine - Uzbekistan (Surxondaryo)(02): human exp. 20060728.2090
Rabies, canine - Uzbekistan (Surxondaryo): human exp. 20060722.2022
Rabies, canine, human - China (Guangdong) 20060608.1605
Rabies, human, canine - India (Kerala) 20060427.1230
Rabies, human, canine - South Africa (EC) 20060302.0669
Rabies, canine, human - China (Beijing) 20060226.0632
Rabies, human & animal - Bhhutan (Trashigang) 20060204.0362
Rabies, human, carnivore - Ukraine (Kirovograd) 20051213.3584
....................mpp/ejp/ty/mpp
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