An Evaluation of the Rabies Surveillance in Southern Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction: Rabies is endemic in Vietnam and has been a statutory notifiable infectious disease since 1998. We, herein, assessed the performance of rabies surveillance in Southern Vietnam and identified areas for improvement.Materials and Methods: We analyzed data on human rabies cases reported during 1991–2018. We adapted guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate attributes of surveillance. Between June and November 2018, we interviewed a total of 145 staff from hospitals, preventive medicine centers, and animal health offices at provincial and district levels in five southern provinces.Results: Between 2009 and 2018, an average of nine cases of human rabies (range: 4–20 cases) was reported annually in Southern Vietnam, representing an incidence of 2.7 cases per 10 million population. The highest incidence was observed in 2018 (5.5 cases per 10 million population). Survey data suggested that only 24% (13/53) of participants agreed that the monthly report template was easy to complete and that 42% (23/55) indicated that the change from the paper-based to the electronic case notification systems was easy. Only 7% (2/29) of human rabies cases were reported timely, and 65% (13/20) successfully collected specimens. Approximately 39% (56/144) of staff were aware of turning surveillance data into prevention activities, and 21% (31/145) witnessed data used for strategic program decision making.Conclusions: Although rabies surveillance was quite simple, flexible, and accepted in southern Vietnam, simplifying the report forms, training staff, and improving the timeliness of reporting and data usage are highly recommended for a better implementation of rabies surveillance.

Rabies in Southeast Asia: a systematic review of its incidence, risk factors and mortality

“… 29 Specific to Southern Vietnam, a total of 94 human rabies cases were reported between 2009 and 2018, with an average of nine cases recorded annually, representing an incidence of 2.7 cases per 10 million population. 30 The highest number was reported in 2018 (5.5 cases per 10 million population). Most cases were among men and individuals aged 50 years and above.…”

“…The average monthly number of rabies cases in Vietnam was 429 during the period from 2011 to 2015, with the incidence ranging from 1.7 to 117.2 per 100 000, with higher incidences observed in the Red River, South Central Coast (SCC) and Mekong River Delta (MRD) regions 29. Specific to Southern Vietnam, a total of 94 human rabies cases were reported between 2009 and 2018, with an average of nine cases recorded annually, representing an incidence of 2.7 cases per 10 million population 30. The highest number was reported in 2018 (5.5 cases per 10 million population).…”

“…Children in this age group are probably more likely to play with, annoy or approach biting animals, which contributes to the higher rate of bites in this age group 45. In contrast, according to a study by Pham et al ,30 older people are more likely to become infected with rabies 19…”

Seroprevalence of Rabies Virus in Dogs in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

“…Surveillance and vaccination in dogs and cats are considered as the most effective control measures for the disease in both humans and animals. However, routine surveillance in Viet Nam especially sero-surveillance to estimate immunity coverage and levels against rabies virus remains less investigated (Pham et al 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first study to determine the rabies antibody prevalence of dogs in the MD where rabies cases were frequently reported every few years.…”

“…It leads to significantly reduce the number of dogs susceptible to infection and therefore it contributes to reduce dogmediated human rabies cases (Thuy and Dang 2016; Nguyen et al 2019;Acharya et al 2020). However, routine surveillance, especially sero-surveillance to estimate immunity coverage and levels against rabies virus remains largely limited (Pham et al 2021). In this study, we carried out serological surveillance of rabies in dogs in Ben Tre province (hotspot of rabies) and Can Tho (central administration unit) in the MD, Viet Nam.…”