Rabies has claimed the lives of 74 people in the northern mountainous provinces so far this year, but only 83 percent of deaths were reported.
According to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, after five straight years of reductions, the number of rabies cases rose sharply this year, spreading across the northern mountainous region.
Up to 96 percent of rabies cases in humans can be traced back to unvaccinated dogs, while public awareness of rabies and its preventive measures remains low.
Rabies, caused by a virus transmitted through an animal bite, has the second highest fatality rate among infectious diseases in Vietnam.
