53 people bitten by rabid dogs, 1 died, the whole village panicked

(Baonghean.vn) - Up to now, the entire Thanh Mai commune (Thanh Chuong, Nghe An) has 53 people bitten by dogs, of which 17 people have been vaccinated, 36 people have not been vaccinated, 22 people are using traditional medicine, and 1 person has died.

Another unjust death

The deceased victim was Le Viet Hoang, 4 years old, from Nam Son hamlet, Thanh Mai commune, Thanh Chuong district. Hoang was bitten by a dog on January 17, 2017, developed rabies on March 19, and died on March 22, 2017.

Mr. Le Van Duong and Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang (Hoang's father and mother) said: After biting Hoang, the dog also bit several other people. On the same day he was bitten, villagers surrounded, beat the dog to death, and ate its meat.

Mr. Duong and his wife Giang sadly told the story of losing their child because they believed the witch doctor's words. Photo: Thanh Chung.

After I was bitten by a dog, some people in the neighborhood said: If you get vaccinated after being bitten by a rabid dog, you will easily become insane. It would be better to take me to see a herbalist named Tung in Nghi Huong ward, Cua Lo town for treatment. This man is very good, he has cured many people bitten by rabid dogs over the past few decades.

Listening to the neighbors, Mr. Duong and his wife Giang took Hoang to Cua Lo for treatment. Ms. Giang said: When they got there, Mr. Tung took some ointment and betel leaves and rubbed them on Hoang's back and told him that he had the rabies virus. He said that he would take 50,000 VND for the test. Now, it's up to the family to give him injections or medicine.

Mr. Tung showed Mr. Duong and Ms. Giang a file containing many thank you letters from victims in and outside the province who were bitten by rabid dogs and were cured, including those who had developed rabies and were sent home by the hospital.

Officers of Thanh Chuong District Medical Center seized medicine from a traditional healer at Mr. Duong and Ms. Giang's house for investigation. Photo: Thanh Chung.

Trusting this herbalist, the couple bought medicine worth 350,000 VND for Hoang to take. And every 10 days, they took him back for a check-up; after 1 month, herbalist Tung said that the virus had gone away but that he needed to avoid cold air for 3 months.

On March 19, Hoang had a rabies attack. Mr. Duong and his wife, Ms. Giang, took him to the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for treatment, then to the Hanoi Children's Hospital, but by then it was too late.

When Ms. Giang called herbalist Tung after her grandchild died, he denied responsibility. Ms. Giang said: Mr. Tung said that the family disobeyed his orders and did not take them to the hospital for injections. Because they were taken to the hospital for injections, he now does not take responsibility.

Mr. Le Van (Hoang's uncle) was in pain and anger: I told them to take him for an injection but they didn't listen and kept giving him herbal medicine. I request the government to take action against this quack doctor who harms people.

And many people are confused

According to Mr. Duong and Ms. Giang: In Nam Son hamlet and the Tea Factory area, Thanh Mai commune, many people have been bitten by dogs since the beginning of the year. Most of them went to Mr. Tung to test whether they had rabies or not. Some people were bitten by dogs (the dog died a few days later), but Mr. Tung said they did not have rabies; some people were scratched on the leg by dogs, but he said they did.

Mrs. Bui Thi Ty, from the tea factory area, just went to Cua Lo to see a traditional healer. Mrs. Ty said: The healer said I had an illness. Photo: Thanh Chung.

Among those bitten and scratched by dogs was Mrs. Bui Thi Ty, 77 years old, from the tea factory area. On the morning of March 23, Mrs. Ty and 30-40 people in the same neighborhood hired a taxi to Cua Lo to see Mr. Tung for examination. Mrs. Ty said: I fed my puppy and it bit me. Five days later it died. Today is the fifth day since it died. I heard that a child in Nam Son died of rabies, so I had to go to the herbalist to check. When I got there, Mr. Tung tested for rabies and said it was true, so I brought medicine home to take.

Grasping the rabies situation in Nam Son hamlet and the tea factory area, on March 23, Thanh Chuong District Medical Center, People's Committee and Thanh Mai Commune Medical Station organized a media campaign to talk about the epidemic.

Just back from Cua Lo, Mrs. Ty joined in listening to information about rabies. Mrs. Ty expressed her concern: Maybe now she won't take medicine and get vaccinated; but now she has to go to Nam Dan, it's too far to go to Ha Tinh to get vaccinated; her children are busy and can't take her...

Thanh Chuong District Medical Center, Thanh Mai Commune conducts rabies communication for people in the Tea Factory area. Photo: Thanh Chung.

Mr. Ha Quang Nam - Vice Chairman of Thanh Mai Commune People's Committee said: Immediately after receiving information that a victim died of rabies, the District Medical Center and Nam Son hamlet urgently carried out propaganda about rabies; implemented measures to get people vaccinated; vaccinated dogs in the whole commune; and sprayed disinfectant chemicals in the hamlet.

People in Nam Son hamlet are selling off unvaccinated dogs to traders. Photo: Thanh Son.

Up to this point, the above measures are being implemented simultaneously in Nam Son hamlet, Thanh Mai commune. According to the reporter, the propaganda work about rabies for the people has not been very effective when many people are still "confused" that: Hoang died because he did not follow the doctor's instructions.

Although the People's Committee of the commune requires people to vaccinate their dogs and control the movement of dogs in the area, currently people in Nam Son hamlet are "dumping" dogs at cheap prices to traders.

On the morning of March 24, a working delegation from Nghe An Department of Health visited Thanh Mai commune to inspect the situation and direct rabies prevention work./.

Thanh Son