A man in Illinois has died after being bitten by a madness - ridden bat in his rest and then refusing treatment . The tragic case is believe to be the first human grammatical case of rabies in the state since 1954 .
The man , a Lake County occupant in his 80s , reportedly woke up with a bat on his cervix in mid - August 2021 , agree to theIllinois Department of Public Health ( IDPH).After the bat was captured and tested irrefutable for lyssa , he was strongly counsel to take post - exposure lyssa discourse . However , for unknown reasons , he declined .
One calendar month on , the man began experiencing symptoms typical of madness , such as neck infliction , vexation , difficulty controlling his arms , finger apathy , and difficulty speak . Eventually , the patient died from the disease . Wildlife experts later found a whole squash racquet settlement last in his menage .
Rabies is a truly nasty disease because of the neurotropic virusRabies lyssavirus . It ’s typically transmitted to human through the bite of a fanatical animal , although transmittance can occur through direct contact with saliva or uneasy system tissue from an infected creature too . All mammalian can be infected with rabies , but it ’s most often associated with bats , racoon , scum bag , foxes , mongooses , and dogs .
If a person ’s seize with teeth by an animal with rabies , the virus will travel from the site of the bite to the mentality bymoving within face . The soul will not show any symptoms during this sentence . After a couple of weeks or even month , the transmission will reach the brain , guide to severe kindling of the mental capacity . At this point , you’re able to expect to see symptoms like anxiety , mix-up , hostility , delirium , hallucination , insomnia , and hydrophobia ( fear of H2O ) . Once these symptoms come out , the disease is almost always fatal .
luckily , rabies in humans is nearly 100 percent preventable ifmedical treatmentis promptly received . If lyssa exposure is suspected , citizenry can be cave in a course of the rabies vaccine , ideally within a few hours of being bitten or scratched . A pre - exposure shot is also available , which is especially important if you ’re traveling to a country where rabies is prevalent , but it does n’t amply foreclose the disease and mass exposed to an septic animate being still have to seek handling . Pre - exposure vaccination simply makes the management of the treatment easier and means the affected role has to get fewer doses of the post - exposure rabies tear .
Rabies is becoming increasingly rarified in the US . Between 1960 to 2018 , there were just 127 human rabies casesreportedin the US — and approximately a quarter of those font were from detent bit received afield . While the menace of rabies in the US has dramatically shrunk over the past C , this late human death in Illinois highlights that the public still needs to be argus-eyed about this noisome virus .
“ Sadly , this event underscores the importance of invoke public cognisance about the risk of rabies vulnerability in the United States , ” Mark Pfister , Lake County Health Department Executive Director , said in astatement .
“ Rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease , ” added Dr Ngozi Ezike , IDPH Director , “ However , there is life - saving treatment for individuals who cursorily seek guardianship after being expose to an animal with rabies . If you opine you may have been exposed to hydrophobia , instantly seek medical care and follow the recommendations of health care supplier and public health officials . ”
