Vietnamese boy in critical condition after taking herbal medicine instead of anti-rabies vaccine

Lang Son General Hospital reported on Thursday that the child was admitted with severe fatigue, poor appetite, and persistent high fever.

He was diagnosed with septic shock, grade-3 respiratory failure, and suspected rabies.

Despite being placed on a ventilator and receiving antibiotics and vasopressors, his condition showed no improvement.

His family then requested to halt treatment due to the high risk of death.

The boy was bitten by a dog two months earlier but received no rabies vaccination, and the dog was not monitored.

The family instead gave him traditional herbal medicine in hopes of preventing illness.

Health professionals warned that rabies risk increases between May and August, particularly in domestic pets like dogs and cats, due to favorable conditions for viral transmission.

The rabies virus can incubate for days to months—or even up to a year—and is nearly always fatal without timely post-exposure prophylaxis.

Dr. Dao Huu Nam, from the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital’s Tropical Diseases Center, cautioned that many people mistakenly assume a household dog poses no risk or fear side effects from the rabies vaccine.

In some cases, children may not inform adults of their dog bites.

Dr. Nam urged parents to immediately take their children to health centers for post-exposure treatment if they experience any animal attack or bite.

Tran Dac Phu, former head of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, stressed the importance of vaccinating pets annually, keeping them leashed or muzzled in public, and never provoking them.

Animal bite victims should thoroughly wash wounds with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, disinfect with alcohol or iodine-based solutions, and seek urgent care for rabies vaccination.