A warning has been issued about rabies in the border area of Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima after a 54-year-old man died from rabies infection. Authorities advise seeking medical attention immediately even for minor bites or scratches. Once symptoms develop, there is no cure, and the disease is 100% fatal.
On 20 February 2026, at the meeting room of Nong Phluang Manow Health Promoting Hospital in Pho Klang Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Mr. Wutthichai Atchariyamethakul, director of Nong Phluang Manow Hospital, together with public health officials from Mueang District and Disease Prevention and Control Office Region 9 Nakhon Ratchasima, held a briefing on the situation. Rabies disease. The briefing was for public health officials from Pho Klang Subdistrict Municipality, village health volunteers, and community leaders regarding the confirmed report of the death of Mr. Sek (a pseudonym), aged 54, whose laboratory test results confirmed rabies infection.
Timeline: He lived in the Government Welfare Housing Project, Ban Nong Phai Pattana, Village No. 9, Pho Klang Subdistrict, Nakhon Ratchasima.
On 6 December 2025, he was bitten on both legs by a dog.
Between 11–13 February 2026, he developed fever and fatigue. Relatives took him to Maharaj Hospital, Nakhon Ratchasima. He then had difficulty swallowing and became hypersensitive to stimuli.
On 15 February 2026, the patient died.
Mr. Wutthichai, director of Nong Phluang Manow Health Promoting Hospital, said that ongoing rabies surveillance faces a major challenge: people often do not realize when they have been bitten, scratched, or licked. Village health volunteers and community leaders must raise awareness so people understand the risk of unnoticed infection. Many overlook or underestimate the risk from playing with dogs or cats or minor scratches, especially from stray animals, which pose a high risk as they are unvaccinated and hard to control. Late vaccination or vaccination after symptoms appear is ineffective, as rabies is 100% fatal.
Mr. Phasavee Somjai, Livestock Officer of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, revealed that in December 2025, one sample from an owned dog in Pho Klang Subdistrict, Mueang District, tested positive. In January 2026, two samples tested positive: one from a racing horse in Pho Klang Subdistrict, Mueang District, and one from a stray dog in Nang Ram Subdistrict, Prathai District. Currently, Pho Klang Subdistrict Municipality and the Nakhon Ratchasima Livestock Office are conducting rabies vaccination campaigns and purchasing additional vaccines to cover an area with a radius of more than one kilometer. Adjacent areas like Nong Phai Lom Subdistrict are awaiting vaccine delivery for early March administration.
Disease Prevention and Control Office Region 9 Nakhon Ratchasima stated that rabies is a severe zoonotic disease that is fatal. Currently, there is no cure but it can be prevented by vaccination. Rabies cases occur year-round, not just in the hot season as commonly believed. The public is urged to vaccinate their pets annually. The initial vaccination requires two doses: the first when the animal reaches two months old, and the second 3 to 4 weeks later, followed by yearly boosters. Avoid contact with animals suspected of having rabies.
If bitten, scratched, or licked by a dog or cat, or if saliva contacts eyes, mouth, or even a minor wound, immediate proper wound care is essential: wash the wound, apply medication, see a doctor, and complete the full vaccination course. The incubation period averages three months, ranging from as short as four days to over a year before symptoms appear. Once symptoms develop, the disease is untreatable and always fatal. Prompt medical attention is critical for appropriate care and survival chances.