The woman's door was not properly closed, and a stray dog followed her into the house and bit her leg! Three days later, the dog involved died, and rabies virus testing came back positive. Multiple local parties have responded.

(Source: ZhiJian News Shenyang Evening News)

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

The door wasn’t shut properly

A stray dog followed into the residence and launched a sudden attack

According to Ms. Xin’s recollection, at the time of the incident, children were visiting and playing in her home. Because the door was left half-open, a stray dog followed inside. “I wanted to drive it out, but it wouldn’t go. Then it suddenly bit my leg,” Ms. Xin described. After being injured, she went to the hospital immediately for treatment. After diagnosis by a doctor, her wound fell under the most severe “Level III exposure” within the rabies exposure categories, and required immediate handling.

What is even more concerning is that after the stray dog that bit Ms. Xin was brought under control by the residential property management, it died within three or four days. Afterward, relevant test results showed that the dog carried the rabies virus and was positive.

Property management response:

Willing to coordinate first or proceed through legal procedures

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

The person in charge said that in daily management they had strengthened patrols: “Guards patrol every two hours, and other staff also inspect within the residential area. If stray animals are found, they will be driven away immediately.” Regarding responsibility and compensation for this incident, the property stated that it is willing to first negotiate with the homeowners. “If negotiation fails, then we will proceed through legal procedures—that would be comparatively fair and impartial.”

Street office:

Awaiting the results of the police investigation

The incident has also drawn attention from the street office in the jurisdiction. A staff member of the JiaoZuo City WenYuan Subdistrict Office, Ms. Hai Yayan, said that they need to wait for the police authorities’ further investigation results. “If it involves other jurisdictions, we will also report to relevant departments in the district.” She also pointed out that within the area under this street’s administration, they will further strengthen disinfection work in public areas, and will earnestly carry out宣传 and education on prevention and treatment of rabies and related knowledge.

Experts issue an urgent reminder:

Level III exposure requires immediate standardized handling

In this case, Ms. Xin’s situation—penetrating skin injuries with bleeding—falls under a high-risk rabies exposure (Level III exposure).

For the general public, knowing the correct emergency handling knowledge for rabies can save lives when unexpected incidents occur.

What is rabies exposure?

Rabies exposure refers to bites or scratches inflicted by a rabid animal, a suspected rabid animal, or a host animal that cannot be determined whether it has rabies; or licking of mucous membranes or contact with broken skin; or direct contact of an open wound or mucous membrane with saliva or tissue that may contain the rabies virus.

In simple terms: as long as the skin is broken or the mucous membrane comes into contact with saliva from a suspected animal, it counts as exposure.

Exposure is divided into three levels

According to the contact method and exposure severity, rabies exposure is divided into three levels:

Special reminder: For those confirmed as Level II exposure with severely low immune function, or for those with Level II exposure whose wound is located on the head or face and where the health status of the animal that caused the injury cannot be determined, treatment should be handled according to Level III exposure.

“Three-step” handling after exposure

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

Once exposure occurs, immediately flush the wound by alternating between soap water (or other weak-alkaline cleaning agents) and flowing 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 rinsing, disinfect the wound with povidone-iodine or 75% medical alcohol.

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

Go to a rabies exposure prevention and treatment clinic as soon as possible. A professional doctor will assess the exposure level and formulate a management plan. Currently, there are two post-exposure vaccination procedures approved by the country:

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

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

Step 3: Level III exposure requires injection of passive immunization agents

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

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