Vietnamese teen diagnosed with rabies 6 months after dog bite

According to Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi, the boy was bitten on the heel but he was treated only with traditional remedies instead of post-exposure rabies vaccination.

Five days before hospitalization, the patient began showing dangerous symptoms including fever, repeated vomiting, headache, fear of water, and fear of wind.

His condition rapidly worsened with agitation and delirium.

After he was sent to Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, tests detected rabies virus in the child’s saliva and skin biopsy samples from the neck.

Despite intensive treatment, the patient’s condition did not improve and the child fell into a coma with a very high risk of death.

The hospital said it had received 58 children for rabies vaccination from early April to May 5, including several severe cases involving extensive injuries caused by dog attacks.

Among them, four-year-old M.D. from Ninh Binh Province, northern Vietnam suffered serious wounds to the head and face after being attacked by a neighbor’s dog.

Doctors reported deep lacerations, torn skin and severe eye injuries, including a ruptured eyeball and heavy bleeding inside the eye.

The child underwent emergency surgery to clean and repair the wounds before receiving rabies serum and vaccination, then was transferred to Vietnam National Eye Hospital for specialized treatment.

Doctors warned that dog attacks can occur even with familiar household pets and urged parents not to let young children play alone with dogs or cats.

They also stressed that rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, making immediate wound cleaning and timely vaccination after an animal bite critical.