 |
| Free rabies vaccines for dogs and cats__Photo: Hoang Nhi/VNA |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked localities to set up task forces in charge of inspecting and urging localities with low rabies vaccination rates for dogs and cats and those with high human rabies deaths to expand the vaccination coverage.
According to the Prime Minister’s Telegram 22/CĐ-TTg dated March 14, 2024, the PM urged provincial people's committees and agencies to enforce rabies prevention and control measures, in line with the laws on animal health, and prevention and control of infectious diseases and Directive 11/CT-TTg dated April 21, 2023.
Efforts should particularly target the eradication wild dogs and cats which pose a significant threat to public safety, said the document.
According to the governmental leader, chairpersons of the people's committees of provinces and cities are responsible for strict handling of collectives, individuals and heads of agencies at all levels who are subjective, negligent in directing rabies prevention and control, particularly in localities with high human rabies deaths such as Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Ben Tre, Nghe An and Dien Bien and areas where the rabies vaccination rate for the total dog population is below 10 percent such as Hau Giang, Quang Binh, Binh Dinh and Quang Nam.
The governmental leader also requested localities to manage dog and cat populations.
Despite the Directive 11/CT-TTg reinforcing urgent measures for rabies prevention and control, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported 82 deaths from rabies in 30 provinces and cities in 2023 with 674,888 individuals bitten by animals. Eighty percent of whom were bitten by dogs, 18 percent by cats and the remaining, by monkeys, rats and bats.
In January and February of 2024, there have been 18 rabies-related deaths in 14 provinces and cities, up by nine cases from the same period in 2023. Almost 70,000 people required rabies prophylaxis treatment in the first two months, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent.
As per the document, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Health to oversee related localities and units regarding technical guidance, organizational matters, implementation, inspection, and monitoring of rabies vaccinations and rabies immune serum for humans.
The Ministry of Education and Training is assigned the duty of leading and collaborating with ministries and localities to develop and execute educational campaigns on rabies prevention and control in schools.
The Government Office oversees and encourages the implementation of the telegram in accordance with its functions and assigned responsibilities.-(VLLF)
