A woman was bitten at home by a stray dog, and the dog involved died three days later! Once symptoms appear, it is 100% fatal!

Source: Guilin Evening News

Recently, a stray dog attack incident occurred in a residential community in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. A resident, Ms. Xin, was bitten by a stray dog that followed her into her home; after testing, the dog was found to be positive for rabies virus.

The door wasn’t shut properly,

A stray dog followed in and launched a sudden attack

According to Ms. Xin, the victim’s recollection, at the time of the incident, some children were visiting and playing in her home. Because her door was left half open, a stray dog followed inside. “I hurried downstairs from my apartment—the dog was already by the cage. I wanted to chase it out, but it wouldn’t leave, and then it suddenly bit my leg.” Ms. Xin described. After she was injured, she immediately went to the hospital for treatment. According to the doctor’s diagnosis, her wound fell under the most severe category of rabies exposure—“Category III exposure”—and required immediate management.

What’s even more concerning is that the stray dog that bit Ms. Xin died within 3 to 4 days after being brought under control by the property management of the community. Subsequent testing results showed that the dog carried the rabies virus and was positive.

Property management response:

Willing to coordinate or proceed through legal procedures

A person in charge of Jiaozuo New Tiandi Property Management Co., Ltd. responded to the incident, stating that after the stray dog died, the property contacted relevant departments such as the urban management department and the police station immediately. As they explained, the dog itself was suspected to have been ill, and the relevant departments, in accordance with regulations, carried out harmless treatment of the dog (burial). At the same time, the property conducted two rounds of comprehensive disinfection and sanitization in the area where the dog had been active.

The person in charge said that during daily management, patrols have been strengthened: “Security guards patrol every two hours; other staff also patrol within the compound. If stray animals are found, they will be driven away immediately.” Regarding responsibility and compensation for this incident, the property said it is willing to first negotiate with the homeowners. “If negotiations fail, then we’ll go through legal procedures—that would be relatively fair and just.”

Township office:

Currently waiting for the police investigation results

The incident has also drawn attention from the district’s township office. A staff member of the Wenyuan Subdistrict Office in Jiaozuo City, Ms. Hu Yongyan, said it is necessary to wait for the police authorities’ further investigation results. “If it involves other jurisdictions, we will also report to the relevant departments in the district.” She also pointed out that within the jurisdiction of this subdistrict, they will further strengthen disinfection and sanitization of public areas, and solidly carry out宣传 and education about prevention and treatment of rabies and related knowledge.

Experts urgently remind:

Category III exposure requires immediate standardized handling

In this incident, Ms. Xin’s situation—caused through-and-through skin injuries accompanied by bleeding—falls under high-risk rabies exposure (Category III exposure).

For the general public, mastering correct emergency handling knowledge for rabies can save lives when accidents happen.

What is rabies exposure?

Rabies exposure refers to being bitten, scratched, or licked on mucous membranes, or having broken skin licked by a host animal suspected of rabies, suspected rabies, or whose rabies status cannot be determined; or direct contact of an open wound or mucous membrane with saliva or tissue from such an animal that may contain the rabies virus.

Simply put: if the skin is broken or mucous membranes contact the saliva of a suspicious animal, it counts as exposure.

Exposure is divided into three categories

Based on the contact method and exposure level, rabies exposure is divided into three categories:

Special reminder: For those confirmed to be Category II exposure with severe impairment of immune function, or for Category II exposure cases where the wound is located on the head or face and the health status of the animal that caused the injury cannot be determined, the case should be handled as Category III exposure.

Post-exposure handling: “three steps”

Step 1: Wash the wound promptly (you can do it at home first)

Once exposure occurs, immediately flush the wound by alternating between lathering with soap water (or other weakly alkaline cleansers) and flowing clean water for at least 15 minutes. This step is crucial and can reduce the amount of virus in the wound to the greatest extent possible. After flushing, disinfect the wound with povidone-iodine or 75% medical-grade alcohol.

Step 2: Go to a regular clinic for assessment and management

Go to the nearest rabies exposure prevention and management clinic as soon as possible, where professional doctors will evaluate the exposure category and develop a management plan. At present, there are two rabies post-exposure vaccination programs approved by the national government:

5-injection immunization regimen: 1 dose each on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28;

“2-1-1” immunization regimen: 2 doses on day 0, and 1 dose each on days 7 and 21.

Step 3: Category III exposure requires injection of passive immunization preparations

For those with Category III exposure (and also for Category II exposure cases that require handling as Category III), based on the recipient’s body weight, use the dosage of passive immunization preparations such as immunoglobulin and serum. Use it all at once in full. This can provide “immediate protection” before antibodies are produced by the vaccine.

Frequently asked questions

1. What should I do if I was vaccinated against rabies and I still get bitten?

First, promptly and thoroughly wash the wound again. If a re-exposure occurs during the immunization process, continue to complete the remaining doses; after the full course of vaccination, if re-exposure happens within 3 months, generally no booster is needed; if re-exposure happens 3 months or more later, you should receive booster vaccinations with 1 dose on days 0 and 3.

2. Are there contraindications to receiving the vaccine?

Rabies has an almost 100% fatality rate; there are no contraindications for receiving the vaccine after exposure.

3. Do I need to test for antibodies after vaccination?

After a full course and standardized vaccination, antibody testing is generally not necessary.

Source | Urban Scene, Xiaoli for help, Nanchang CDC

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